Failures
by Celeste38
Summary: Mikey, Leo, and Karai each must deal with their issues after the events of Exodus. R
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own the TMNT.**

**This fic takes place after Exodus part 2.**

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Fear.

It overwhelmed the young ninja as he lay, frozen, staring up at the evil face of his clan's most hated enemy. A horrible sneer appeared on the monster's face, enjoying the moment as he lifted the clump of exposed wires in his clutches. He then prepared to shove it down upon the mutant turtle, and end his life.

The teen's heart was pounding, it's beat drummed loudly in his ears. Drowning out a yell of warning from his mentor, his sensei, his father…

A powerful shove threw him out of danger, then Hamato Splinter's agonizing screams filled the air and echoed endlessly in Michelangelo's mind…

…Until he jolted awake in his bed at home, coated in a cold sweat.

"Sensei," He whispered. Quickly realizing that the nightmarish memory had ended, reminding himself that everything was okay. "He's alright…the Utroms came, Shredder went to trial, we got some mild treatment and hung out in North Hampton for a few months so we could heal in peace…everything's fine."

"_Oh, come on Mike._" The turtle thought darkly as he hesitantly lay back down, staring at the ceiling. "_That's a load of shit and you know it! If it weren't for you…_" Movement in the Lair caught his ear, distracting his self-beating thoughts. A look at the clock, 5 A.M., told him that his master was awake preparing tea. Some noise down the hall let him know that Leonardo was up too, ready to perform his morning training before everyone else woke up.

Michelangelo continued to lay silently in the dark, listening to the activity downstairs for a while before getting up and putting on his mask. He tied it on tight, then grabbed his nunchucks off the headboard and headed out into the hall. After leaping gracefully off the terrace, he walked towards the dojo with a long session of training in mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**First off, I'd like to thank those who have read and reviewed this fic so far. Your comments and support have given me the fuel I need to keep this fic going.**

**I'd like to thank Reinbeauchaser for your suggestions, I like hearing them. It helps me make the story better and I appreciate it.**

**And now, to the fic!**

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"_You will serve me as you have always served me…Loyally, and without question._" 

The words of her father swam in Karai Saki's mind as she sat quietly in what was once her master's office. Guilt plagued her as she looked over the details of the damaged room; so many memories came to her, upsetting her even more.

This was the first time she had been in the room since she and Dr. Chaplin had returned to Earth, exposed and arrested as members of the terrorist group the Foot really was. Her father's reputation as New York City's savior was tainted; instead of a liberator, he was now known as a criminal warlord. Reported dead by the same men who turned Karai and Dr. Chaplin over to the authorities; the Utrom's Guardians.

She was taught to hate them; but now, after everything that had happened, she didn't know what to think of them anymore….

Karai had been raised by The Shredder, and was exposed to his bloody lifestyle her entire life. For years she made excuses for her father's brutality, convinced herself that he had a right to battle his enemies the way he did. That it was all justified, and the Utroms were to blame. But deep down inside, despite what she sorely wanted to believe, she knew what her father really was…a monster. A demon who relished in the pain and suffering of others, and lived to make others bow down before him in fear.

The trial the Utroms held for him only smeared the ugly truth into the young woman's face even more, she couldn't make excuses, couldn't deny it any longer.

She couldn't blame the aliens and their human guards for hunting The Shredder the way they did, and she couldn't judge them; she had no right to. They had suffered horribly at her father's hands; and while she hated to admit it, he deserved what he got in the end.

Now he was gone. Taken away from her and sentenced by the Utrom Council to live the rest of his life stranded on a small, frozen chunk of ice that orbited a nearby planet; she suspected he was dead by now. And she was the only one who mourned…

She had lost her only family; and the only friend she ever had hated her. Lonely and depressed, the young woman sat in her prison cell wishing death would soon claim her…but it didn't.

About a month after being returned to Earth and arrested, Dr. Chaplin found a way out of the prison and was quick to make an escape. He had sought Karai out, insisting she come with him. The ninja wanted to stay in her prison, she deserved her punishment as much as her father did, but the young doctor refused to leave her behind.

"Come on Mistress!" He had pleaded. "A goddess like you shouldn't be locked away like this, it doesn't suit you."

Despite her mood; Karai was flattered by his words, realizing that his remarks about her and comments towards her in the past had been genuine. That his respect and loyalty to her was real, as opposed to the men who followed her father; men like Hun, who served their master out of fear and greed.

Dr.Chaplin's words moved her, but not enough to convince her to leave. The threat of his life being in danger; however, was. Chaplin was naïve. He had a brilliant mind and was full of potential; it would be a waste if he died. Which was bound to happen if he stayed there any longer, angry guards with guns were approaching them; if it came down to it, they would shoot. Karai wouldn't allow him to die so soon, even though she longed for death herself.

"Alright…"She had said quietly, taking his outstretched hand. The guards were coming, their guns loaded. "Let's go."

Two months had gone by since the break out, two months of hiding as they made their way back to New York City. Now she stood in the remains of her father's mansion, trying to decide what she should do…

Trying to find her place…figure out where she stood now that she had lost everything that had been precious to her. Where did she belong?

"Mistress Karai?"

The young woman jolted out of her depressing thoughts, and turned to see Dr. Chaplin standing in the doorway. Clearly nervous as he stepped into the room, observing the destruction it had undergone as he spoke. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Karai sighed, "No…my father hid the Heart of Tengu well. He intended on taking it with him when he left for his home-world but…"

"…things got a little complicated." Dr. Chaplin finished, looking down at his feet uncomfortably. "I'm sorry about your dad Ms. Saki."

"There's no need for apologies Chaplin, you didn't do anything wrong." The ninja said softly as she broke into her father's desk, rummaging through the items it contained. "You were a loyal servant to my father, even though you didn't like him."

The doctor looked up in surprise, nervous again. "Wha? What makes you say I didn't like him, I mean; yeah, he was an alien blob thingy…but he was-"

"A horrible man, a man you feared very much." Karai looked at Chaplin from behind the desk, there was no anger in her eyes as he had expected. There was…an understanding. "I know he forced you into the job, he did it to many men. I'm just glad you didn't turn out like them, becoming bitter souls after serving my father for so long. Your cheerful aura made things a lot brighter around here; I would have hated to see that die."

The doctor blushed, "T-thanks!"

He saw a small, warm smile come across the woman's face. Then watched it fade away as she returned to her search for the object she was after. She was the ninja again, cool and as beautiful to him as she had always been. He swore to himself that he'd never leave her side, no matter what.

"What's up with this 'Heart of Tengu'? What is it?" The doctor asked in honest curiosity, watching his mistress as she went through her father's things.

"The Heart controls the Foot Mystic", Karai explained. "They are ancient warriors that have command over powerful magic. Whoever has the Heart of Tengu has a deadly weapon in their hands; I just hope it's here…"

The government had removed all the weapons and technology from the building, taking away everything they thought could be deadly if it got into the wrong hands. Anything the local gangs could salvage and use to their advantage. However; for all Karai knew, they had no knowledge of the amulet.

But she couldn't take that chance…She needed to find the powerful talisman before anyone else did, and destroy it. That, she decided, was her purpose now.

"There are many places it could be." Karai said after a moment, heading for the door. "Let's get to work."


	3. Chapter 3

Leonardo stared grimly at his reflection in the mirror, saddened by the image that greeted him.

The ninja looking back was someone he didn't recognize; a warrior who showed no mercy in a fight, who was cold towards his brothers when they trained. A far cry from the teenager he had been half a year ago, when the Shredder had been defeated once and for all.

The teenager he used to be was dead now, suffocated and pushed aside for the sake of his family.

They disapproved of his new attitude, but they didn't understand. What Leonardo was doing was necessary.

He had failed to protect the ones he loved, and almost lost them all. The Shredder was dead, but that didn't mean they were out of the woods. The lives of the Hamato clan were still threatened; Bishop, Stockman, the gangs of New York City… there were still a lot of people out there who were a danger to them.

The scar on the turtle's shoulder ached, a painful reminder to him of the person who was possibly their biggest threat. Karai…

It had been an accident when she stabbed him, the horrified look she had on her face was still etched in his mind. But the look of regret and sorrow towards him changed to one of misery and anger after the Shredder was sentenced. "_This is not what I wanted!_" She had screamed bitterly at him as she was taken away, it left him uneasy.

He had failed to keep his family safe, and he had failed to save Karai. She was loyal to the monster that raised her, the creature she had called her father. Leonardo had no doubts about the fact that she would want to avenge the Shredder, no doubts that she would eventually break out of jail and hunt his family down.

So he decided to prepare for it, ready himself for the fight against the woman that fascinated him so much. Prepared himself to kill her, and keep his family safe.

Not long after that there was a story on the news about terrorists breaking out of jail: Dr. Chaplin and Karai Saki. Fear struck Leonardo's heart, and he became colder. Desperate to be ready for what was bound to come…

Now the young ninja was staring into a mirror, observing the results. He had drastically changed, but it was for the better good.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait and shortness of the chapter, I promise the next one will be longer. However, you may be waiting a while. Things are pretty busy around here, so I don't get to work on my fanfics as much as I'd like to, but I will try to update faster if I can. Thank you for the positive reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

Never in his entire life had Hun hated anyone as much as he hated Karai, the daughter of his late Master Saki.

It was bad enough that his master favored her so much; bad enough that shesecretly helped the freakish turtles while still claiming absolute loyalty to her father, but for her to come back to Earth alive while the Shredder had not…that infuriated the gang leader more than anything!

How could she let him die? She, who claimed to love him as her father…how could she betray him so badly?

"_I should have killed her while I had the chance._" Hun thought angrily, remembering all the times the turtles had coincidently appeared at the scene when something Karai disapproved of was about to happen. The times when the turtles would get away whenever she was the one to come across them…Hell, Hun himself watched her deliberately lower her swords when the one named Leonardo asked her to.

Yet, whenever he voiced his concerns to the Shredder about her, he was angrily threatened for his comments. Oroku Saki refused to believe that his daughter would align herself with one of his most hated enemies…And so, Hun was never able to take her life as he had dearly wished to.

Now his master, the only person he ever really cared about, was dead.

And Karai was alive.

"_I'll fix that…She can't hide behind our father anymore._" Hun stared down at the photos in his hands, ones taken by his men on the streets. They were photos of Dr. Chaplin and Karai digging around the office that had once been the Shredder's, clearly looking for something. Knowing her as he did, the gangster came to the conclusion that it was something dangerous. But what?

"Master Hun?"

The giant of a man crumbled up the pictures, then turned to the scrawnygang memberstanding in front of his desk. "What is it?" He snarled, watching with amusement as the man's face filled with fear. "Stop shivering like an idiot, what do you have to report?"

"U-um…" The Purple Dragon member seemed to forget for a moment why he had come into the room, but quickly remembered when he caught a glimpse of the crushed photos in his boss's hand. "It's about that lady you wanted us to watch, her and that geek, well...they've disappeared!"


	5. Chapter 5

Michelangelo sat cross-legged on the balcony outside his bedroom, leafing through an old back-issue of the _New Teen Titans_ comic while listening to the sounds of metal clashing below him. His kitten purred contently at his side as he gently stroked the animal's soft fur, occasionally scratching the feline behind its ears. Today, the young ninja felt somewhat content. Days like this he felt good; as if nothing bad had ever happened, and that his world was as it normally would be. How it should have stayed.

Of course, that feeling of security never lasted long. Leonardo's newly aggressive behavior and Master Splinter's charred appearance, as well as his recurring nightmares, quickly brought the mutant back to the reality of his life as it was now.

Things had changed.

The teenager distractedly put down the comic and turned his attention to the spar going on in the center of the lair beneath him. Raphael was battling hard against his katana-wielding sibling; however, he wasn't doing well.

In the past Leonardo would go easy on his brothers when he sparred against them, and would kindly give them pointers afterwards once the fight was over. He used to be reassuring and supportive, now he was cold and harsh. A completely different person from the ninja he was not so long ago.

Unsettled, Michelangelo shifted his gaze away from the spar and over to the battered figure sitting at the edge of the room. The old rat looked tired as he watched his two sons fight, a pang of guilt came over the teenager as he stared at him.

Hamato Splinter had never really fully recovered from the damage caused by his near-death encounter with the Shredder. His fur had slowly grown back over time, but looked a little greyer than it did before the incident. He didn't fight against his children in training sessions that much anymore, and when he did he often stepped out early on. He wasn't as strong as he used to be, his health was always on his sons minds.

"_That's my fault…Sensei wouldn't be like this if I had just moved the hell out of the way! If I'd focused, and ignored my fear, he'd be fine right now._" Michelangelo thought angrily, "_Of course, Leo's wonderful new attitude isn't helping. What's up with him anyway?_"

Raphael cursing loudly captured the ninja's attention, causing him to look back at the center of the room where his brothers were. One was on the floor with a sword pointed at his head, the other glared down with a dark expression on his face.

"Get up, you're done." Leonardo said in a cold tone, putting his weapons away as he turned around and approached their brother's workshop. "Donatello, it's your turn to train!"

"The hell it is!" Raphael yelled as he got up, "I ain't done with you Leo!"

"_This could get ugly…_" Michelangelo thought as he stood up, his hands reaching for the nunchucks in his belt. His eyes switched back and forth between his two brothers, anger heating up one sibling's face while an icy glare filled the other's. "_Now would be a good time to intervene I guess._" He jumped off the terrace and walked to the center of the room, placing a hand on the defeated sibling's shoulder. "Why don't you take a break Raphie-Boy? I'll dance with Mr. Personality for a while."

Raphael's anger died down a little as he gave his enthusiastic brother a look of surprise. "You're _volunteering_ to train with Leo? Since when do you train, or do anything for that matter, without having to be asked?"

The mutant let a smile bloom on his face, although his brother's words hit him hard. "I'm bored watching you get your shell handed to you over and over again." He replied with a teasing grin, "Just sit down will ya?"

The other turtle glared at him in annoyance, then reluctantly walked away and sat down. "Whatever, this won't take long anyway." He grumbled, making sure he was loud enough to be heard.

"_Way to share the love, Raph!_" Thought Michelangelo as he stood opposite Leonardo, "_Aw, who am I kidding? He's right…I'm screwed!_"

The sound of two blades being pulled out of their holders signaled the start of the fight, the two ninja dashed forward with both their weapons drawn.

"_No, I shouldn't think like that._" He scolded himself as he avoided the blades, dodging his brother's attacks while he looked for an opening. "_If I do, then I'm kinda wishing myself to lose._"

The nunchucks in his hands spun smoothly as he made his move, blocking an attack and sending his opponent back a few steps. "What's wrong? Raph wear you out too much?" He asked, getting cocky.

"You're losing your focus Michelangelo," His brother responded coolly. Kicking him in the side and sending him stumbling to the edge of the training area. "Trying to piss me off won't work."

"_Yeah, that never did work on you._" Michelangelo admitted silently as he made a swing at Leonardo's arms with his nunchucks, missing his target. "_I rely too much on that tactic anyway._"

A punch to the jaw snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Focus!" Leonardo demanded as he made another move, roughly knocking his brother to the ground. "You goof off too much...you don't pay attention," The turtle growled as he advanced on his sibling. In a flash he grabbed the other teenager by the headband, whispering angrily into his ear. "Sensei nearly died because you fucked up!"

The horrific images that had assaulted his mind repeatedly every day erupted in Michelangelo's mind again as his brother released him and walked away, hot tears formed in his eyes as he quickly stood up. "_Don't you think I know that? I will never forget that night; never forgive myself for what happened!_" He thought as he picked up the nunchuck that had fallen to the floor, swirling it in his hand as he stood before his brother. "Where're you going bro?"

Leonardo stopped and looked back at his brother, a small smirk coming to his face when he saw the spark of determination in his sibling's eyes. "You want to take me on again, Mike?"

A grim smile formed on Michelangelo's face as he stepped forward, "Yeah Leo…" The nunchucks swirled faster in his hands. "I'm game."


	6. Chapter 6

"_I wonder what he's doing right now_..._Leonardo…_"

Karai opened her eyes at the thought of her former ally, a ninja whom she had grown to respect over the two years they had known each other. He was supposed to be her enemy, their families were enemies, but she never saw him that way. She saw an honorable warrior, someone she felt a connection to…or had felt a connection to.

He hated her now, she was sure of it.

"_Why did I freeze like that? Why did I stand there like a fool and let him get hurt?_" The young woman thought as she stared at her open hands, seeing the turtle's blood dripping off the sword with vivid clarity. "_God, I wish he had just let me fall to my death that night…"_

Disturbed by the memories, the young woman began crying into her hands. "_I hurt him…him and my father…_" Her thoughts wandered to the moment she had woken up after Raphael had attacked her, remembering how horrified she was when she saw Leonardo's unconscious body in her father's arm. She didn't hesitate when she charged forward with the mutant's sword still in her hands, didn't hesitate when she stopped her father's blow.

Karai had pleaded desperately with the Shredder to spare the Hamato clan, telling him that they had lost the battle and should be left to live with their dishonor. She knew her father had no real understanding of honor, but had hoped that her words would appeal to him.

She had been wrong…a faint scar from his blade still remained on her cheek.

Everything had happened so fast after that, and in a few mere hours she had lost the two men in her life that she had loved. "_That's not what I wanted_..." She thought, staring ahead at nothing in particular. "_But then again…what I wanted was impossible._"

"Miss Saki, what's wrong?"

Karai looked up and down the alley to see Dr. Chaplin approaching her; she could tell that he had seen her crying. "I'm fine…" She stood up, "Where did you go?"

The doctor blushed with embarrassment, "I uh…had some business to take care of."

"There's no need to be embarrassed." She looked up and down the alley cautiously, "You weren't followed were you?"

"No, Mistress."

Karai turned back to the young man who stood before her, "You don't need to be so formal with me anymore doctor, I am not your employer." She noticed the nervous look on his face, and gave him a smile. "You can call me by my name, it's alright."

"Okay…Karai." He grinned boyishly, then quickly got back to the situation they were in. "So, where are we going now? We tore the headquarters apart looking for that thing, and we looked in the old headquarters and the dojo too. There's no place left it could be, right?"

The ninja knew that her father hadn't taken the item with him on the ship, and it hadn't been in any of the Foot locations. There were only two other places it could be: In the hands of the government or in the hands of a member of the Foot.

"I hope he doesn't have it…" She muttered with worry.

The doctor didn't know what she was talking about, "Huh? Who do you think has it?"

* * *

Hun looked at the piece of jewelry in his massive hand, grinning darkly as he rubbed his thumb over its warm surface. "So this is what she's after…she wants to destroy it."

The giant remembered the night of his master's departure, and remembered how thrilled he had been when the Shredder had asked him to hold it for him. It was an honor to be trusted with such a powerful weapon, and it made Hun feel good. He was favorable in his master's eyes again.

A scowl crossed the man's face as he looked at the gem, Karai returned to his thoughts.

"She wants this…and I'll be sure she gets it. I'll be sure she gets what she deserves!"


	7. Chapter 7

"_She's here; in the city…Karai is back_."

Leonardo was worried when he heard the terrorist sighting on the news, but he didn't show it as he left the living room and made his way to the dojo. He needed to train hard for a while, intending on patrolling the city that night. "_I have to find her before she makes her move…I have to stop her before she does anything to my family_."

He walked into the room, surprised to see his nunchuck-wielding sibling training aggressively.

"Don't look so shocked Leo…he's been pushing himself harder and harder since last week." Leonardo turned to see Raphael glaring at him as he approached. "What the hell did you say to him during that fight?"

"I told him the truth." The turtle said coldly as he watched his sibling in the room, "We all know it was his fault."

Raphael's eyes widened with shock and anger at his brother's words, "You son of a bitch!" He grabbed the other ninja and threw him out of the room, taking out one of his sai and holding it threateningly as he pinned him down. "You blamed him for the accident? What the hell's wrong with you!"

"He needs to grow up Raphael, or someone else will get hurt." Leonardo said in a cool tone, kicking his brother off of him and quickly getting up. He pulled out a katana to defend himself as his furious sibling attacked, becoming angry himself.

"Mikey can handle himself in a fight, he kicks ass when he needs to. He was just caught off guard Leo…don't pretend like that's never happened to you!" Raphael growled.

"I do get caught off guard," Said Leonardo as he made his move. "I get in over my head, but I handle it on my own. I don't rely on others to save my ass whenever I'm in trouble!"

"Bullshit!"

The two brothers stood on opposite ends, they were ready to charge again when someone dashed in between them and kicked them both to the ground…Splinter looked down at Leonardo with disapproving eyes while Raphael climbed to his feet.

"S-sensei..."

"Leo's right about me," Michelangelo said in a tired and defeated tone from the doorway of the dojo, causing the three of them to look over at him. "So stop fighting about it…"

"He's not right!" Raphael argued as he glared down at his sibling laying on the ground, then looked back at the one standing in front of him. "He's being an ass, Mikey."

Splinter watched as Michelangelo ignored his brother's words and pushed by him silently, glancing at the sibling on the floor as he walked off and headed for his room. The pain in the teenager's eyes was overwhelming, making it clear to the old rat that his son had been tormented with this guilt for a long time…possibly since the accident happened. Why didn't he notice it before?

Leonardo stood up and put his katana away, storming off to the elevator. His brother, still furious, quickly pursued him. "Where do you think you're going, jerk?"

"Let him go, my son." Their father ordered warily, still looking in the direction of his depressed son's room. With a sigh he turned his attention to the two siblings, motioning with his head for Raphael to leave, he wanted to speak with his other son alone.

"Sensei…I have nothing to say."

Splinter put his hand up; indicating for the teenager to be silent, the anger in his eyes was clear. "I've had enough of this from you Leonardo. For months now you've been like this, cold and distant, and I want to know why."

He looked again at his son's room, and then continued. "I will not have you treating your brother like that, especially since you seemed to know about the guilt he had been silently harboring this whole time."

"Mike's good at keeping his guilt and depression hidden; all I did was use it to fuel his fire. I don't want anyone to get hurt like last time; he'll need to be ready for what's coming."

"And what would that be?" Splinter asked angrily, "Whatever it is…it doesn't justify your actions!"

"I'm doing all this to make sure everyone stays safe." Leonardo muttered, this time a hint of his shame emerged in his voice. "It's my responsibility."

With that he turned and walked into the elevator, leaving a confused father in his wake.


	8. Chapter 8

The young ninja and her companion found themselves on the rooftop of the old Foot headquarters, searching for what Karai hoped would be a useful weapon in destroying the Heart of Tengu.

A couple of years earlier, when the building they stood on still operated under the Shredder's rule, the Hamato clan rose from their assumed deaths and attacked. In their possession was a powerful sword that once belonged to the warlord…and with that sword the building had been shut down.

Chaplin stared at the ancient weapon, or what was left of it, and wondered how it could have caused the sort of damage his friend had described. "Are you sure this thing can destroy that amulet you're worried about? Cause…to be honest, it doesn't look like much."

The Sword of Tengu had been shattered, now all that remained of it was a jagged fragment. But that didn't concern Karai…she could still feel its power.

"I'm sure you're aware of the fact that looks can be deceiving, Chaplin." She said quietly as she put on a metallic glove for protection, "It may not be the whole sword…but this dagger should still be damaging enough to destroy the Heart."

The scientist was still uneasy, "I hope you're right. I'd hate to see how things would turn out if that thug figured out what that amulet can do."

"He won't get the chance to use it…I swear on my life, that weapon will be destroyed!" Karai looked at the dagger, her expression determined. "Hopefully this sword fragment will be destroyed too."

Chaplin shivered at the woman's words, then turned and observed the beauty of the cityscape. The view was a wonderful sight to his eyes, and for a moment it let him escape from the world around him.

The city was crowded and dirty when one walked through its streets, but the view it presented to those who had the opportunity to see it was often breathtaking…or at least it was breathtaking to the young scientist.

He had grown up in a small town, and had quickly fallen in love with the wonders of the city when he had secured a job there. It was reminder of his success as a student, and as a scientist…even if things didn't turn out the way he had expected them to.

"_Time's almost out…_" He thought as he stared at the city lights just as Karai stared at the blade in her hands and reflected on its history. "_I want to tell her…she deserves to know._"

The man looked back at the woman who had become his friend over the last few months, and debated with himself on what to say.

Then fell to the ground when a bullet struck him…

* * *

Donatello felt his blood boiling with rage as he watched his family from the doorway of his room.

Michelangelo, his depression painfully clear to them all now, tiredly made his way to his own room…he ignored the sounds of the argument continuing and tossed his nunchucks aside before sitting down on his bed. He rested his head, now throbbing with a growing headache, in his hands. Emotionally and physically exhausted…

"Who the hell does he think he is?!" Raphael growled with an angry glance over his shoulder, watching as Leonardo stormed out of the Lair and into the sewers. "That bastard…" He noticed his brother standing in the doorway watching him, "Did you see that? Did you hear the garbage that came out of his mouth, Donnie?"

The other turtle nodded angrily, "I wish I didn't."

"Did you see where Mikey went?" The ninja asked, his voice draining of its former anger.

With a worried expression, Donatello looked over at their brother's bedroom. "Yeah…He didn't look so good."

"Mikey?" Raphael asked softy as he walked into the bedroom, Donatello following him silently. "Yo, bro? You okay?"

Michelangelo looked up from the spot on the floor he had been staring at and saw his concerned siblings in the entrance to his room. Even though he felt horrible, he managed to muster up smile for them. "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

The two brothers exchanged a worried glance, uneasy by how quickly the other teenager had bounced into pure happiness when moments ago he was frighteningly moody. Their looks didn't go unnoticed…

"Hey, guys. Don't worry about it, alright?" He plastered a smile on his face and stretched, "I'm just a little tired that's all."

"Mikey…" Raphael murmured as he stared at him, "You're more than just a little tired. You're wiped out." He observed the feverish look his brother had, despite the carefree appearance on the teen's face. "All that crap Leo was spouting earlier was a load of bullshit, you know that right?"

The smile faded, and frustration made its way through. "Get real, Raph!" Michelangelo snapped heatedly as he got off the bed and tried to push his brother aside. "Leo's been an ass lately, I won't deny that. But he sure as hell wasn't lying about what he said either!"

"Mike!" Raphael protested, only to be successfully shoved out of the way.

"Back off!" Growled Michelangelo as he tried to leave his room; he didn't want to stay there anymore. He wanted to get out, go topside and escape the worried looks on his brothers' faces. But both were determined to keep him there…

"Guys, please." His anger died down as a wave of exhaustion swept over him.

Donatello stood in his way, while Raphael put a comforting hand upon his shoulder. Their stubborn determination let the mutant know that they weren't going to let him go anywhere anytime soon.

"I'm fine." He insisted, his voice cracking emotionally. By this point his head was pounding furiously, his legs felt like jelly. "I'm fine…" He looked into Donatello's eyes wearily, seeing the doubt in them. He didn't need to see Raphael's eyes to know that they looked the same.

After a moment, Michelangelo relaxed under his brother's grip on his shoulder and turned to sit back down on his bed. He slumped forward, his body aching with a growing fever. "God, I feel like shit…"

* * *

"Chaplin?!" Karai shouted in a mixture of confusion and fear when she turned to see her friend sprawled on the ground, motionless. "Chaplin!!"

Before she could run to the man's side, she heard the sound of another gunshot. With quick reflexes, she managed to avoid the bullet and threw herself to the ground. Fury found her as she tightly gripped the sword fragment in her hand, she would make this assailant pay!

Leaping to her feet, Karai ran for cover behind a small gargoyle statue. She closed her eyes to clear her head, then opened them again and peeked around the stone beast to try and catch sight of her opponent.

"Show yourself, coward!" She yelled angrily, willing the fragment to power up…the second the shooter showed themselves she'd strike.

A bullet smashed into the head of the gargoyle, alerting the skilled ninja of her enemy's location. She looked up to see a young member of the Purple Dragons running towards her, shooting wildly.

However, before she had the chance to attack, another gunshot rang in the air…

It took Karai a moment to realize that it was not the boy who had fired; he was now lying on the ground clutching his bleeding leg, it had been someone else…

She turned around quickly, ready to strike if it was necessary, and was surprised by the sight that greeted her eyes.

Before her stood Chaplin, alive and well with a gun in his hands aimed at the gang member who was now swearing on the ground in pain.

_Where did he get a gun?_

"Are you alright, Karai?" He asked her as he lowered his weapon and approached.

She nodded, staring at the metallic object in his hand with interest. "Where did you get that?"

The young doctor looked at his weapon uneasily and gave her a grin. "I'll explain in a minute, I promise. I just gotta take care of this guy first."

Even though she felt out of the loop, and was confused by her friend's words, Karai didn't say a word as the man walked by her.

Chaplin made his way over to the boy lying on the ground, "Quit your complaining…" He demanded as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs, "Put your hands behind your back kid. You're under arrest!"


	9. Chapter 9

Splinter watched his son, who had long ago become cold and distant, storm out of the Lair and into the sewers. Wondering how it had gotten so bad with him, wondering if things would ever be the same again…and if the Leonardo he knew would ever come back home to them.

He had changed so much since the night of the trial...

While the rest of the Hamato clan had celebrated the victory of Shredder's demise, Leonardo seemed to fall into a pit of anger. He trained obsessively as soon as he was able to, and slowly had begun to chance his ways as a warrior. Instead of waiting and listening for the right time to make a move, he would charge ruthlessly into the fight. On more than on occasion, as Splinter was horrified to learn, the ninja had to be stopped by his brothers when he nearly killed innocent people.

Disturbed and worried, the rat and his sons had tried many times to reach Leonardo through the icy wall he had put up against them. Tried to console him, tried to discover what was bothering him, tried to get him to open up to them…but nothing, not even a surprise visit from an old friend, seemed to break through.

Soon, Splinter was ashamed to realize, they had all just given up on him. His attitude was frustrating, and none of them wanted to deal with it anymore. The old rat was too tired to put up with his son's behavior, and the others seemed to have learned to ignore it.

And it had quietly remained that way until just a few moments ago, when Leonardo had finally taken it too far…

Which brought another surge of guilt and shame upon the old ninjitsu master as he looked up to the balcony where two of his sons stood, watching them as they entered a bedroom with concern on their faces.

Michelangelo's bedroom…

"_How did I miss it? Why is it that I never noticed his pain until now?_" He wondered as he made his way up to the rooms, wanting to comfort the teenager. "_Perhaps it was because I was so worried about Leonardo…_"

"I'm fine…" Protested a tired voice weakly as the rat approached his son's room, stopping just outside the doorway. "God, I feel like shit…"

Splinter peered around the corner to see Michelangelo sitting on his bed, shoulders slumped, pure exhaustion written on all his features as Donatello leaned forward. The boy's eyes closed as the cool hand touched his hot forehead, letting out a tired sigh before opening them again.

"You're burning up Mikey," His brother said quietly as he instructed him to lie down on the bed. "I'll go get Sensei."

"There's no need, my son." The rat spoke up as he walked into the room, giving a comforting smile to his children. "_I may not have been there for him before, but I can be there for him now_." He thought as he looked upon his boys. "I'll make some tea to help bring down the fever; I want you to rest Michelangelo." With that he left, leaving the three teenagers in silence.

* * *

On the rooftop of an abandoned New York City skyscraper stood three figures. A beautiful young woman and two young men; one man looked rather pleased with himself, while the second was handcuffed to a metal rail cursing loudly to be released.

"I ain't gonna stay locked up here!" The Purple Dragon member hollered angrily, "Master Hun's going to kill you two; I'm not the only one he sent out to off the lady you know!"

"Oh, we know." Dr. Chaplin responded lazily as he grinned at the other man's frustration. "Why do you think we're still here?"

"_That's a good question._" Karai thought as she stared at Chaplin, surprised and confused by this new side of him she was seeing.

"If your buddies show up here..." The doctor continued, glancing over his shoulder to give his friend a reassuring grin. "Then we can get them out of our way and continue on with our cheery little quest. We wouldn't want to get ambushed along the way…it sort of ruins the fun!"

The gang member scowled, but remained silent.

Dr. Chaplin stretched his arms, and then pulled out his gun to check the ammunition. "I wonder how long this will take?"

"Chaplin..." The woman began asking, only to be interrupted by a silencing glance from her companion.

"Shush, Mistress. All will be explained once we get this over with…" The doctor said quietly, "I promise."

Seconds later a war cry rang out, and the two were surrounded…

* * *

Hun stared out the massive window of his office into the blackness of the city, knowing that tonight was the night he had been waiting for. Tonight Karai would be brought before him; dead, alive, wounded…it didn't matter. The outcome of the evening would be the same; he would see her dead before sunrise, and he would put her lifeless body on display for all to see.

He would dedicate her death in the name of his master, the great and powerful Shredder. And then he, not the traitorous bitch, would take on the mantle of the Shredder and would put the Foot and the Purple Dragons…an army of one…back in business.

Since the fall of his master mere months ago, Hun had been gathering what was left of the Foot and aligning them with his Purple Dragons. The members of the Foot that had not been captured and arrested came to him when the news spread that he would rebuild the Shredder's empire and take control of the city once again.

The Elite ninja were quick to join him; they respected him and knew he had what it took to let the Foot continue to operate. He had proven that two years ago when they thought their master had fallen, and war between the criminal divisions had broken out.

Hun was worthy of that mantle, he had earned his right to carry on as the Shredder, unlike the woman…

The Shredder's daughter was pathetic in their eyes, she didn't think like them. She wasn't a criminal like them…the Foot she led in Japan were foolish bodyguards and dojo teachers. They operated as an honest business, unlike their New York counterpart; Karai's Foot and the Shredder's Foot stood on opposite ends. Good and Evil.

But their master didn't care. Karai may have been different, she may not have agreed with her father's activities…but she remained loyal to him regardless, and was the only person he cared about besides himself.

So he let her do as she wished, and she had stared the company named after her father's army. It amused the Shredder, even though she wasn't fighting his war beside him. He loved her.

"_That was the only foolish thing he ever did_," Hun thought. "_Caring for an honor obsessed freak like her when he already had a worthy apprentice and heir in me…that's what got him killed._"

The static of the radio caught the man's attention, distracting him from his thoughts. He turned, with the amulet in his large hands, and stared at the small electronic device sitting on his desk.

"Have they caught my darling sister so soon?" He asked the air, an anticipating grin twisted its way on his face.

"Lucas here, reporting to all members of the patrol…" Came a voice through the static, one Hun identified as a Purple Dragon member of the team he had sent out that night. "I have spotted the bitch and the nerd at Foot HQ A, I repeat…Foot HQ A. I'm going in!"

The giant was pleased, and began rubbing the amulet in his hand with his large thumb. A warm pulse radiated from the small orb, raising the man's confidence. He knew that at that report, the rest of his patrol where immediately making their way to the old Foot headquarters. If Lucas failed in killing or capturing Karai, then they would quickly advance on her and finish it themselves.

Hun was certain that tonight, his greatest with would be granted…

* * *

Leonardo leaped gracefully over the city rooftops, shame screaming in his head as he tired to focus on his objective: Find and kill Karai.

But despite the mission he had set for himself that night, unpleasant memories flooded his brain of words spoken not that long ago…

"_Sensei nearly died because you fucked up!"_

"_I told him the truth…we all know it was his fault."_

He shook his head, trying to ignore his guilt. Trying to remind himself that it was necessary…and would be worth it in the end…

The teen knew that he was unfavorable in his family's eyes after the horrible things he had done and said in the last few months…but they just didn't understand. He really was doing it all for their own good, doing it to prepare them and protect them. He only hoped that someday they would realize this and forgive him.

His harsh and cold behavior was necessary to make them stronger; it was working so well on Michelangelo already. He was toughening them up, preparing them for anything.

They wouldn't be weak, like they had been in the past. They wouldn't trust their enemies and hesitate to kill them…like he had with Karai.

An image of her floated into his mind, one where she was his ally and friend. One he used to have back when he would lie in his bed at night wondering what it would be like to kiss her, and dreamed of holding her close in his arms…

"_Foolishness!_" He thought angrily as he banished that dying fantasy from his head and replaced it with one he allowed himself to see every waking moment. A vision of Karai he had once hoped he would never see, a vision that at one time struck fear and sadness in his heart, a vision that he now expected to see…and was eager to destroy once and for all to protect his family from further harm…

A vision of Karai as the new Shredder.

With a grim scowl on his face, Leonardo pulled his katana out and examined them in the moonlight. He began to imagine the blood that would soon stain them, blood that would save his family.

"She's back in the city planning her revenge for that monster!" Leonardo whispered darkly. "I swear on my life, that woman will die tonight!"


	10. Chapter 10

Donatello stared at Michelangelo, watching as his feverish and emotionally exhausted brother stared wearily at his tea with little interest. It wasn't healthy for him to be like this, consumed by his guilt and refusing to talk about it. All that pent up emotion had to be released, or else he would never get over it…and never truly get better.

"I know how you feel Mikey…"

"What do you mean Don?" Raphael asked, glancing back and forth between the two siblings.

The mutant ignored his brother's question and continued starting at the turtle sitting next to him. "You remember our little encounter with the Ultimate Ninja and Draco, don't you?"

Without looking away from the cup in his hands, the youngest mutant nodded silently.

"I went to a really messed up place, remember? A horrible future…the Lair was a mess, Sensei was dead, the family had fallen apart, all hope seemed lost, and in the end I watched you all die painful deaths." Donatello shuddered as he thought back on that hellish future, grateful that it would never come to pass. "The future you was pretty pissed at me when he saw me, he blamed me for the way things turned out. For disappearing on them…"

"That wasn't your fault and he knew it!" Michelangelo protested with a flash of anger in his eyes at his future-self's accusations. "It's not like you just took off one day and said: To hell with the rest of you…He said he thought you were dead!"

"I know Mikey, and I knew that then, but I still felt guilty about it." He was staring at the floor, sadness washing over him.

"Donnie…"

"But as horrible as I felt I got over it, I talked to you all about it and let go of my guilt. That's what we want you to do, bro…talk to us, please!"

Donatello sighed as Michelangelo turned away, refusing to meet his eyes. His sibling had had a traumatic experience that tore open many emotional wounds, wounds that never got to heal. The brother he saw sitting next to him reminded him of the miserable soul he had met in the future. "You remind me of how he was, Mikey…And that disturbs me."

The guilt-ridden eyes locked onto his once more.

"He didn't laugh, didn't joke, never smiled…He blamed me for that future in his anger; but I could see in his eyes, and hear in his voice, that he blamed himself as well. He was miserable, Mikey…and they way you've been acting the last couple of days, letting your guilt tear you apart…makes me think of him."

Donatello's eyes fogged a little as he remembered the Michelangelo he had seen in that future. Battle torn and emotionally dead, a shell of the happy person the mutant knew and loved. "Damn it! I don't want you to keep blaming yourself; I don't want you to end up like him!"

Taken aback by his brother's emotional statement, the young ninja tore his gaze away and looked into the eyes of his other sibling and then his father. Seeing their upset and pleading looks for him to open up about his feelings.

Master Splinter leaned forward and put a paw over the boy's hand, silently urging him to talk to them. With a nervous sigh, Michelangelo looked down at his tea again, trying to find the words to describe how he had felt over the last few months. Finding himself speaking without really thinking about it, and feeling like a weight was starting to lift from his shoulders as the words tumbled from his mouth.

"I'm not going to deny that the…accident with Sensei played a role in my training; what happened to him that night has haunted me since then, and that's never going to stop."

The rest of the Hamato clan sat silently in the bedroom, watching as the young mutant sipped his tea wearily before speaking again.

"No matter what any of you say, I will always blame myself for him nearly getting killed that night…."

Michelangelo paused, looking up at his father sitting across from him. Finding himself comforted by the reassuring smile, as well as the look of understanding and forgiveness, that the old rat gave him.

"Heck, even I knew it was an accident. Knew that if it had been either one of you guys, or Leo, in my place that he would have done the same thing. But…I couldn't help feeling responsible for the incident, especially when I started thinking about the other slipups I've had in the past.

Time and again I'd mess up in battle, get in over my head and need to be bailed out by one of you…." He glanced back and forth between his two present brothers, giving them a half-smile. "You dudes have to admit, I'm the friggin damsel-in-distress in this family!"

His exaggerated tone and carefree grin provoked chuckles from his brothers, which made him feel better as he continued.

"I…well…thinking about it, the night on Shredder's ship wasn't the first time Sensei nearly died because I froze in a fight. And that really bothered me. I didn't like how unreliable I was to this family, how weak I was as a ninja. I wanted to change, and I wanted to make sure that something like what had happened on Shredder's ship never happened again. I wanted to be a better ninja, a better brother, and a better son!

So, I started training more. I started to take being a ninja more seriously. And I have to admit, my motivation changed a little….I wasn't just doing it out of my guilt over what had happened anymore. Soon I was doing it because I wanted to prove to everyone, myself included, that I was a good ninja." Michelangelo smiled as he thought back on his training, "I liked the changes I was seeing in myself. Well, until I sparred with Leo that day…then, all that overwhelming guilt came back…"

"That jackass!" Raphael growled, pounding a fist into his hand. "Don't you listen to a word that prick said, bro! He's got his head shoved so far up his ass that…"

"Raphael!" Splinter's stern voice interrupted, silencing the sai-wielding ninja's oncoming rant. As angry and disappointed the old rat was with his eldest son, he wasn't in the mood to hear it. "Enough!"

Michelangelo looked at his family again, "I do feel a little better…I didn't realize how much this was tearing me up." After a moment he looked over at Donatello, and gave his brother a large smile. "I'm sorry for worrying you…but did you honestly think I was going to end up like that old geezer? Christ! I'm never going to stop trying to cheer you guys up, or reading comics, or watching cartoons. Acting chipper and being a royal pain in the butt is what I do, and nothing is going to change that. You got it?"

A much needed burst of laughter exploded from the two brothers as they stared dumbfounded at Michelangelo, who had a relaxed smile on his own face.

Master Splinter grinned at the warm interaction between his children, thankful that his son was finally on the road to recovery, as he left the bedroom with the intent of meditating in his own room. There was still the matter of Leonardo he had to deal with; the ninja was on a dark road with his recent actions and attitude change. The old rat feared that reaching out to his eldest son would be much harder to accomplish.

Michelangelo had always been carefree and free thinking, even in his depression and misery he was easy to reach out to and comfort. Leonardo on the other hand had always kept his thoughts and problems to himself. He was a perfectionist, and refused to let anyone help him with his personal issues. They had all tried.

Whatever it was that was bothering him, he would have to deal with it on his own as he so clearly wanted. The old rat only hoped that his son didn't do anything more damaging than what he had already done, and prayed that the boy didn't get himself killed with his foolishness.

* * *

"Well, this is fun!" Chaplin hollered as he dodged a sharp blade aimed for his head and attempted to kick his opponent in the crotch. He reached up and tapped his glasses angrily, avoiding another potentially fatal attack in the process. "Uh, guys? Where the heck are you?!"

He threw his gun, which had run out of ammunition, at a ninja running towards him. Cursing his lack of hand to hand combat skills, groaning in annoyance as another ninja approached him. He tapped his glasses again, desperately. "Guys! Here! NOW, PLEASE!!"

The doctor scrambled away from his assailant, ignoring the taunting laughter from the Purple Dragon member that he had shot and tied up earlier, and made his way to a gun he saw laying on the ground. It was just begging to be picked up.

"Oh, thank god!" He muttered, thrilled, as he scooped up the weapon and checked it over. "I never thought I'd ever be so happy to see a gun!"

"Chaplin!" Karai yelled from the center of a swarm of ninja. Quickly plowing through them and making her way over to her friend. "Are you alright?" She asked as she stood back to back with him, prepared to fight as the group of ninja regrouped and began to launch an attack again.

"I'm fine Mistress, just a tad overwhelmed that's all." The man responded in a perky tone as he began to fire away at the group coming towards them, trying to aim for their kneecaps. "Back up's coming, I promise." He yelled over the gunfire. "They're taking their dear sweet time about it, but they're coming!"

"What back up?" The woman asked as she slashed at the four Elite ninja attacking her. "What is going on, Chaplin?"

Before the doctor could muster up a response, a group of soldiers barged through the roof door. Their weapons blazing, the soldiers immobilized the remaining ninja before they had a chance to react

"It's about time!" Dr. Chaplin yelled in frustration, watching as the men tied up their defeated enemies. "You fellas may be used to heavy combat, but I'm not. I'm a doctor, remember, not an army boy like the rest of you guys."

"Sorry Chappy." One of the soldiers replied, approaching the man and woman. "But we had to be sure where she stood before we intervened, you had to know that."

"Where I stood…?" Karai whispered, putting some of the pieces together. "Is this some sort of test?"

"No, well…okay, maybe a little." Chaplin said nervously. "I have the utmost respect and trust in you, I know you're a good person. But…the rest of them weren't so sure; I guess they were willing to risk our lives to see if they could trust you like I do." He said in an accusing tone as he stared at the soldiers.

The look on Karai's face reminded him that she had no idea what he was talking about. "I guess I should start from the top, huh?"

"That would be wise, yes." She said, finding herself slightly annoyed by the whole thing.

"A year ago, your father…hired me. What that really means is that he threatened to kill my family if I didn't join his staff, since apparently I impressed him while Dr. Stockman continued to get on his bad side."

Karai hung her head in shame at the mention of her father's actions, having already suspected that her companion had been threatened into his job. "Continue, please."

Chaplin shifted nervously where he stood, not wanting to see his mistress upset.

"Alright," He said quietly. "Well, shortly after your father hired me a government official contacted me. He told me that they suspected your father was a crime lord, and that they wanted me to be a mole for them. After promising me that they would put my family under their protection in exchange for my cooperation, I agreed to help them."

"So, you were acting as a spy the whole time?" Karai asked, wondering if their friendship was a lie as well.

"Yes, but please believe me when I say that I never wanted to hurt you!" Dr. Chaplin exclaimed, grasping her shoulders gently and staring into her eyes. "I was just following orders. I didn't like lying to you, but it had to be done."

"Why didn't anyone come to arrest my father? I'm sure it didn't take long to find the evidence you needed to imprison him."

"Well, the big guys wanted to wait before making a move against him." The doctor continued. "You see, the Utroms had made contact with the U.S. Government after the attacks from the Triceratons. They're the ones who tipped off my superiors about your father in the first place; they were working with the government to find a way to capture the Shredder without making a big fuss. They also wanted to be sure that he wouldn't escape again. When I told them about the ship he was building, they made a plan with the Utroms to capture him."

"That's why you followed his orders the whole time." Karai realized. "They wanted him to leave Earth….but, if that's the case, then why did the government attack?"

"Ah, Bishop." Chaplin groaned as he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "That jerk totally ruined everything, he blew the whole mission!"

"He was acting separately?"

"Yeah, you could say that." The man said as he put his glasses back on and watched with little interest as the soldiers began to remove the ninjas uniforms. "He's from a different branch of the government that deals specifically with protection against hostile aliens. He knew about your father, and took it upon himself to crash the party in an attempt to stop him. He doesn't work with the MIB division of the government, so he had no idea of our own plans with the Utroms to capture your father.

So in he stormed, guns blazing, making a huge fiasco out of the whole thing and ruining our plans. In the end, we did manage to capture your father. But the mission still wasn't entirely successful."

Karai raised an eyebrow, confused. "How so?"

"Your father…," Dr. Chaplin began. "Was supposed to be captured with his entire army onboard the ship with him. However…"

"Bishop's arrival threw everything into chaos, and the soldiers never made it onto the ship before it launched." The woman finished, understanding. "Is that why you broke me out of prison? Hoping I would become the leader of the Foot and gather my father's forces?"

"My superiors suspected you would take over for him if you got out; I told them that you wouldn't. They made a deal with me." The man said quietly. "I was supposed to break you out of jail; it would make breaking news and get the attention of what was left of your father's forces. From there it was all up to you.

If you went to the Foot to claim leadership and continue the criminal activities like my superiors thought you would, then you would have been arrested when we raided the headquarters. However, if you didn't try to reclaim the Foot then you would be free to go once we located their headquarters. We figured the Foot would come after you if you didn't go after them first, either way my superiors would have gotten what they wanted."

"So I passed your test then?" Karai said coldly, she didn't like being toyed with.

"With flying colors, like I knew you would!" Chaplin said with a warm grin, looking into her eyes once more. "I never doubted you for a second Mistress."

Despite her anger at being manipulated, the woman found herself smiling back at her friend. "So…what happens now?"

"Simple! We stop the bad guys!"

* * *

Leonardo surveyed the old rundown warehouse with distaste, watching the Foot soldiers and Purple Dragon members crawl along its borders like a nest of ants preparing to raid a house for food. The mutant had every intention of exterminating this filthy nest, which he had been pleased to discover just a few minutes ago after weeks of searching; all he had to do was kill its queen.

The event he had been preparing for since that fateful night was about to occur, and soon it would all be over. Once Karai was dead, the rest would scatter. It wouldn't take long for the authorities to deal with them.

The question was, where would she be?

* * *

Karai walked in front of a large group of government soldiers wearing Foot uniforms, praying that everything would go as smoothly as Dr. Chaplin assured her it would.

After interrogating the men that had attacked them, the two soon learned of the new location for the Foot Empire. She wasn't surprised when she learned that the Purple Dragons had joined forces with the Foot, and was even less surprised when she learned that Hun had taken leadership of the criminal organization…calling himself the Shredder.

"_He always wanted that title, that power_." The woman mused as they entered the building, unaware that she was being watched. "_I hope he enjoyed it while it lasted…_"

The group made their way past some unsuspecting Purple Dragons who were hard at work unloading boxes full of drugs, and crossed over into a room where a deal was going down. Hun was no where to be seen.

"He's probably further inside." Karai whispered to the men behind her, "How long until the rest of your boys show up doctor?"

Chaplin shrugged, "Honestly I'm not sure. They have to collect those guys back at the old Foot place before heading out here."

"I cannot afford to wait for them." The woman said as she eyed the door at the back of the room. "I need to locate Hun's office and find the Heart of Tengu. If he realizes I'm here…"

"Gotcha Mistress!" The man said as he looked over his shoulder at the soldiers behind him. "You go on ahead, don't worry about us. We'll break off and surround the place so none of these goons can take off on us, you go look for the gem!"

Karai stared at Chaplin as he beamed at her through his mask, finding herself smiling back at him without even realizing it at first. He had slowly become her friend over the last few months, and had stayed loyally by her side throughout it all.

"Be careful, my friend." She whispered as the men began to move out.

"You too, Karai." He replied as he turned and followed two of his comrades back out the way that had originally come.

After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, the young ninja made her way to the door at the back of the room. Quickly opening it and going through without attracting the attention of the dozens of thugs in the room behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she continued onward.

After passing through an empty hallway, the woman found herself at another door to a larger room. Pleased to discover it was unlocked, she slipped inside. Observing how poorly lit it was as she entered.

She was about to explore the area when a noise from the left-corner of the room ahead of her caught her attention.

Two eyes glared back at her, amber eyes filled with loathing. Karai felt her heart stop as the figure moved forward and the dim light shined down upon him.

She found herself, for the first time in months, face to face with Leonardo.

* * *

**I reposted the chapter after I realized that I forgot to put the page breaks in dies.**

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I'm thrilled everyone's loving it, more to come too! - **


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh boy, the big showdown! **

**I had quite the time writing this chapter. In fact, I had most of it written out while I was halfway through writing Chapter 9!**

**I'm very pleased with how this one turned out, can't wait to see what the rest of you folks think of it. Thanks again for your reviews! - **

* * *

Karai stood still and stared at the mutant as he walked out of the shadows, a grim expression on his face. A torrent of emotions swept over the woman, and for a moment she forgot where she was and why she was there. All she could see was him, and all she could hear was her own heart pounding nervously in her chest.

"Leonardo…it's been so long…" She managed to say as he approached, noticing the coldness in his eyes.

"Yes." He answered as he pulled out his katana, "It has."

Leonardo saw that she had no sword, and quickly tossed her one of his own blades to make them evenly matched. He ignored his feelings for her, blinded himself from the look of confusion on her face, and made his move. "Let's end this, tonight!"

The young woman barley had time to react as the one she loved lunged forward, and soon their blades clashed.

The shock in Karai's eyes went unseen as Leonardo assaulted her with various angry strikes, all he could see in her now was her father…all he would see now was that she had taken his place. If the Hamato clan was to remain safe from the wrath of the Foot, then the beautiful woman he was now battling would have to die…

"This isn't what I wanted either Karai!" He said nastily as he tried to deliver a killing blow, quoting her bitter words to him the last time they had seen each other months ago. "I thought I knew you, I thought you were a good and honorable person." The sounds of the blades clashing awkwardly rang though the air. "But you're not! You chose that monster, and I won't let you carry out his fury."

"_What does he mean?_" Karai wondered in panicked confusion. She had expected him to hate her after what had happened on her father's ship, but there was more than hate in the ninja's actions…he intended on killing her! Why? "Leonardo?"

The mutant ignored her, too consumed with his rage and assumptions to see that she was innocent. He advanced on her, sending her stumbling backwards one powerful blow after another. Unsure of how much longer he could keep this up…determined to kill her quickly for her sake as well as his own.

"The Shredder got what he deserved, and I won't let you kill my family because of that!"

Shocked, and feeling like she had been slapped in the face, Karai dropped her katana. Her eyes widened as she felt Leonardo's blade pierce her shoulder, its hot sting provoking her into crying out in pain. She stared at her injury as the ninja pulled out his weapon, and noticed that it was in the same spot where she had accidentally stabbed him the last time they fought. She looked into his eyes, now merciless as well as cold, and then put a hand to her non-fatal wound. "An eye for an eye…?"

Leonardo snarled at her words, and then raised his katana. He didn't notice the movement behind him…he was too blinded by his actions to pay attention to his surroundings…

"Look out!!" Karai yelled when she saw the large shadow approaching, a glowing light in its equally large hand. "It's Hun! He's using the Heart!!"

She grabbed the surprised mutant and threw him to the ground, falling on top of him as a beam of energy shot out of the amulet and struck the ground where they had been standing. Leaving a scorching black mark in its place…Furious, Karai pulled out her dagger and blasted a beam of its fearsome power at Hun. The giant was thrown off by this action, and didn't have time to react as he was sent flying backwards crashing into his desk. The ninja lowered her weapon and then looked down at the mutant that was sprawled underneath her, waiting to see what he would do.

Leonardo looked up at the face of the woman that had saved him, the woman he loved, the woman he was trying to kill…and felt the ice wall in his mind begin to crack as doubt flooded his thoughts. "_Why did she do that? We were fighting to the death…she wants to murder my family…so why did she save me?_"

The two stared at each another for a moment, their emotions swirling crazily within them as they both became aware of how close their heads were…both feeling each other's warm breath caressing their faces…both finding themselves closing their eyes and inching closer to one another, their lips so close to touching.

"_I want to kiss him…_" Karai thought hazily as she leaned forward, an excited jolt going through her as she felt their lips brush against each other for a moment.

Leonardo had felt their lips brush too, and felt a pleased shiver go through his body. In another second he knew they were going to kiss, and found himself enjoying that thought. "_I want to kiss her, I've wanted to kiss her so badly for a long time now…but, she's the enemy…she saved me…but maybe she did that because she wants to kill me herself…she's the Shredder's daughter, she's the Shredder! She wants to kill my family! SHE WANTS TO KILL THEM!!!_"

Growling angrily, the ninja threw Karai off of him just as they were about to kiss. Once again banishing his feelings for her and his desires for the sake of protecting his family, he quickly rolled onto his side and grabbed his fallen weapon. The woman fell backwards, startled, and stared into his amber eyes to see that their former coldness had returned. If the mutant hadn't allowed anger to cloud his thoughts, then he would have noticed the hurt look in her eyes.

"Enough of your tricks!" He spat as he charged her, raising the blade above his head. "Let's finish this now, Shredder!"

Shocked, and a little disgusted at being addressed that way, Karai dodged Leonardo's attack and grabbed his other sword off the ground to once again engage in the fight. "Don't call me that!" She shouted at him angrily, blocking all of his blows.

"Why not?" He asked darkly as he continued to swing the sword down upon her dangerously. "That's what you are!"

"I am not my father!" Karai stammered, feeling hot tears welling up in her eyes. Tears that remained ignored by her opponent… "I never was and I never will be! How could you accuse me of something like that, you know me better than that…"

"I thought I knew you better than that!" Leonardo snarled, "I thought…hell, I PRAYED that someday you would come to your senses and turn your back on that demon you called your father. But you never did!"

"Yes I did!" She yelled as the frustrated tears, still unseen by Leonardo in his blinded fury, flowed freely down her cheeks. "I betrayed my father so many times to help you and your family."

"And yet, you never left him…"

Their blades collided again and again; the sound rang loudly in the air.

"How could I?! He was my ONLY family!" The woman argued sadly. "Would you have so easily turned your back on Splinter-san if our situations were reversed?"

Leonardo knew the answer to that, deep down he knew that she was right…that he too would have had a hard time fighting against the person who had raised him…but he buried this answer within him, refusing to admit she was right…the same way he had refused to answer that question months ago in China.

"If you had no intention of leaving him…" He asked her angrily, "Then why did you help us in the first place?"

"Because I had felt guilty over the promise I made to you, the promise I was unable to keep…" She said calmly, "Because I grew to like and respect you. And I…I…"

"You, what?" The ninja pushed, his tone clearly indicating his lack of belief in her words to him.

"I fell in love with you…" Karai confessed in a whisper, approaching him with a pleading look in her eyes. "I am in love with you, Leonardo."

For a moment, the mutant let his defenses down…pushed the red haze out of his mind to see the picture that lay before him. The sight of a woman standing before him, with tears spilling from her eyes, sobbing these words to him…pouring her soul out to him.

Then the image of his family floated into his thoughts again, and his view of the woman returned to hate and distrust. "You have a funny way of showing it..." He replied darkly with a twirl of his katana, envisioning the harm she had the potential of bearing down upon his family. "I could never love a monster like you."

Absolute misery washed over Karai as those icy words sliced into her brain. He really did hate her… he didn't love her as she had so desperately hoped during her months on the run. The foolish fantasy of being with Leonardo slowly died within her as she watched the mutant approach, knowing that he was going to kill her…and she didn't care.

If the sound of Hun groaning his way back into consciousness hadn't alerted the two ninja, then Karai would have allowed the one she loved to slay her where she stood. Her anguish had consumed her, and she had temporarily forgotten the reason why she was even there that night. But the sounds from her enemy reminded her what she was supposed to do.

"I will die tonight, Leonardo, if that is what you wish." She told the mutant numbly as the two of them turned their attention to the stirring giant of a man. "However, I won't let you kill me yet. I have some unfinished business!"

The mutant pointed one katana toward Karai, while aiming the other at Hun as the man stood up and glared at them. "What sort of unfinished business? Teaching your dog a lesson for not following orders?"

The large man snarled at the remark as he held up the amulet in his hand, "I don't take orders anymore…I give them!"

With a flash, the gem shot out another blast of energy toward the two ninja. Both easily escaped harm and dashed forward to confront their attacker, both determined to remove the powerful jewel from his grasp.

The Shredder had used the amulet to strike fear into his enemies, to attract the weak and greedy into his ranks, and to lay waste to those who opposed him. Neither ninja wanted to see what would happen if Hun learned how to use the full force of the weapon, both wanted to destroy it at all costs…even though only one of them had the means how.

"Help me retrieve the Heart of Tengu!" Karai yelled as she pulled out the fragment of the Sword of Tengu and shot a shockwave of its power at Hun.

Leonardo sneered at the woman's request, "Yeah right…and let you use it against my family? I don't think so!"

Upset by his accusation, Karai faltered in her attack and was blasted backward by Hun. Dizziness washed over her as she tried to sit up, feeling around for the dagger that had fallen from her hands.

Hun saw the predicament his "sister" was in, but passed the opportunity to kill her. His sights on the turtle instead…The mutant's comment gave the giant a wonderful idea, remembering one of the useful things the gem in his hands could do.

"Let's have some fun, you freak!" He boomed as he tried blasting the turtle while avoiding the ninja's sharp blade. It wasn't long before he was successful in hitting the mutant square in the chest, watching with amusement as the teenager fell onto his shell.

"I can't help but notice something…" Hun started as he approached the dazed body lying on the floor, "You've really lost your touch freak!" He kicked the mutant for the fun of it, and then threw a blast at the woman running towards him. A grin sprang to his face as Karai fell back onto the floor and lay motionless, imagining the sort of fun he intended on having with her later on…it had been a long time since he had tortured anyone.

"Damn you, Hun." Leonardo growled as he was roughly lifted off the floor by the huge man, surprise taking over his features as the man pressed the Heart of Tengu against his forehead. "What the hell is tha-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Karai quickly swam her way back into consciousness at the sound of the mutant's pain filled screams, grabbing the dagger and firing a blast at Hun while he was distracted by the pleasure he was having watching the teenager in his clutches writhe with agony. Worry creeped into her mind as she watched Leonardo fall to the floor and stare up at the ceiling with a dazed and shocked expression on his face.

The ninja shivered, he could feel something slithering around in this mind…in his thoughts and memories. "_What did he do to me?!_"

"Sh-shit!" Hun growled as he rubbed his throbbing back and turned towards his attacker. "Why, Karai…that wasn't very nice!" He said as he dashed towards her, leaving the amulet on the ground in his rage.

Leonardo remained on the floor, frightened by the sensation of something swimming through his mind…terrified when the images flashing in his brain halted on the picture of his home. Soon it felt like he was flying through the door, then came the sensation of floating up to the bedrooms…to one particular room where his family had gathered around a feverish looking Michelangelo… all of them looked up at Leonardo in confusion, then fear, and then with anger as they got into their battle stances.

The ninja then saw the five Foot Mystic approaching his family ready to attack, and was suddenly thrown out of the vision to find himself back at the warehouse. It took him a moment to realize what had happened…the Foot Mystics had entered his mind and had located the Lair, and now they were attacking his family while he was powerless to stop it!

It was then that Leonardo noticed the amulet lying on the floor inches away from him, and stretched out his arm to grab it…

Hun struggled with Karai, surprised by her strength, and managed to throw her aside. He turned back to see that the mutant had awakened, and was reaching for the amulet on the floor. "Well, we can't have that."

As the giant moved forward to grab the gem out of his opponent's grasp, Karai scrambled to her feet and dashed towards them with her dagger drawn. "Throw it to me, Leonardo. I know how to destroy it!" She pleaded desperately, realizing when she saw the cold glare the ninja shot at her that he wasn't going to let her have it.

The glare towards the woman was enough of a distraction for Hun to work with as he threw a punch at the mutant, causing him to release the amulet in his hands and send it sliding across the cement floor.

"You can't stop the Mystics freak, once they start a mission they don't stop until it's been completed."

Leonardo wiped the blood off his bleeding lip as he stared angrily up at the giant looming over him. "My family will defeat them easily, they've done it before!"

Hun smirked, "Ah…yes, they did. Would you mind telling me how?"

Fear shot through the turtle's senses as he remembered how the Mystics had been defeated…with the Sword of Tengu. They had destroyed it that fateful night, just as they thought they had destroyed the Mystic ninja.

"You…bastard!" He screamed as he lunged forward, his katana once again in his hands.

While the two battled one another, neither noticed the woman running forward and snatching the glowing gem. With her dagger in one hand and the gem in the other she prepared to destroy them, a small hint of doubt finding her as she did so.

What if she had been wrong this whole time and the Sword of Tengu had no effect on the Heart at all?

"_Only one way to find out…_"

Karai drove the fragment of the Sword of Tengu into the amulet with all her strength, shivering with fear as the ground began to crumble around her. Knowing that the elemental warriors were coming for her; coming to retaliate against her actions to destroy them.

Each one would attack her now one by one as the sword and amulet destroyed one another, each warrior would use the last ounce of strength they had to try and stop her from destroying the amulet. For if the amulet was destroyed…then they would cease to exist, and would never be revived again. Their fearsome power would be dead forever...

The Earth Mystic was dying first, and it was using the last of its power to crumble the cement floor of the room. Rocks, large and small, flew in the air around the young woman. They smashed into her violently in an attempt to get her to release her grip on her blade…but as much as it hurt, she refused to let go.

Leonardo pulled his katana from Hun's dead corpse and turned horrified to see Karai kneeling over the amulet on the ground, unable to see exactly what she was doing due to the fact that she had her back turned to him.

The ground continued to crumble as panicked thoughts flew in the mutant's mind; with his blades raised he struggled to approach her. He had to kill her, and he had to do it now! The lives of his family depended on it…

Battered by the damage done by the rocks, Karai refused to budge as she felt the power of the Earth warrior fade at last…knowing he was dead for good, and knowing that the rest of the warriors were abandoning the Hamato clan to return to challenge her as the Earth warrior had.

The angry heat of the Fire Mystic greeted her now, burning her hands as she gripped the dagger tighter…determined to see this through to the end.

Karai could hear Leonardo approaching as the fire at her palms faded away, letting her know that the Fire warrior had now died. While she tried to find her voice through all of her pain, the Metal warrior began to make its mark on her…

"Your…family…." Her voice stammered as her old wounds, Leonardo's stab on her shoulder and the Shredder's slash at her cheek, reopened as the actions of the Metal Mystic. "They're…safe." She cried as the elemental warrior died, blood dripping from her reopened injuries. Then the Wind warrior began its work, swirling the air around them like a tornado.

Leonardo froze at Karai's words; his sword was inches away from slicing her throat. "Wha-What?" He couldn't believe what she had said, was she telling the truth? Was his family really safe, or was he imagining it out of his love for the woman?

But…over the howl of the wind, he could hear her whispering to him again with pain lacing her words. "Your family is safe…Leonardo."

She wasn't lying, and the mutant let his blades fall to the floor as a wave of relief washed over him. The ice wall in his mind shattered for good within him, and his anger disappeared in his happiness. His family was safe! The Mystics had released them!

As the wind picked up, Leonardo felt guilt and confusion come over him as he looked down at the woman kneeling on the floor before him. Realizing that she wasn't trying to use the amulet, she was destroying it! She saved his family, just as she had saved him earlier…why? Why would she do that if she wanted to avenge her father?

"_She never wanted to avenge him in the first place…_" The mutant realized with his guilt increasing every second. "_I was wrong about her, this whole time I was wrong!_" He looked at her shoulder, damp with the blood from his attack on her. "_I nearly murdered the woman I love for no reason at all…_"

Before he could say or do anything, a blast of wind threw him backward into the hard wall behind him. The impact sent him spiraling into unconsciousness…

Karai felt fear grip her as the wind died down, glancing over her shoulder to see Leonardo's still form slumped against the wall. It took everything she had to stop herself from getting up and running to his aide, she couldn't let go of the Sword of Tengu…if she did then the warriors would revive and attack together. She would never get another chance to destroy the Heart of Tengu again if that happened.

"I'm sorry, Leonardo…" She whispered as the air died down completely, signifying the death of the Wind Mystic. Leaving only the Water warrior left to face her…

The pipes shaking above the ninja's head alerted her of her opponent's move, and she quickly took in a large gasp of air as they exploded and water rained down on her. Within seconds the water formed a large globe around the young woman, encasing her. It wasn't long before her lungs began to burn for air, but she refused to give in.

"_I just need to hold out a little longer…_" Karai told herself demandingly, "_The Mystic will lose its strength soon just as the others did…_" She stole a glance over at Leonardo, grateful to see that he was out of the water's reach. He was slumped against the wall as if he was just sitting there, and was in no danger of drowning despite the fact that the small room now had a couple of inches of water coating it's floor.

"_Thank God he's safe…_" She thought as she tried to ignore her burning lungs, wondering how much longer it would take for the Water warrior to lose its power and die as the others had before it. Finding her mind wandering back to the mutant she loved, and the sad thoughts that accompanied it.

As she felt the power of the warrior weakening, as well as her own strength fading away, she remembered the fight she had been having with Leonardo only moments earlier. The battle where she had been fighting for her life against the one she loved. Where he had put an end to her fantasy of happily-ever-after once and for all and declared, with a tone of disgust, that he could never love her.

The water falling down around her snapped Karai out of her misery. Alerting her that the globe around her had deteriorated and the Water warrior had died at last. She was free to breathe once again, and her lungs were grateful for that.

As she weakly took in gulps of air, the young woman noticed the bright glow coming from the blade embedded in the amulet. Wondering momentarily what would happen next before a sudden powerful blast erupted from the objects in her hands, shoving her down hard onto her back.

In her daze, Karai became aware of the ground collapsing underneath her. Noticing faintly that the explosion from the weapons had caused an eight-foot wide, two-foot deep hole to form in the cement floor beneath her, a deep hole that had rapidly filled with water from the broken pipes above her…

Exhausted, the young ninja found herself helpless to stop herself from slipping into the cold water that awaited her. Fear gripped her as she realized that at any moment she would pass out, her vision had already started to blur. The strain of destroying the Heart and Sword of Tengu, which had evaporated with the explosion, had sapped the energy out of the woman. She was having a hard time staying awake, and could feel her grip on consciousness fade with every passing moment.

She was kneeling weakly in the small pool now, staring sadly at her reflection. "_Oh God, I'm going to die after all_."

Her body and soul tired, Karai felt her eyelids slowly flutter shut as unconsciousness finally came to claim her. She was vaguely aware of the sensation that she was falling forward, collapsing into the pool of water beneath her. Quickly being surrounded by it, and finding herself numbing to it. "_At least it won't be Leonardo who will kill me; the water will do it for him._" She thought sadly, "_Will my death really make you happy?_"

As air bubbles escaped from her mouth, and the cold water began to fill her lungs, she thought back on the moment earlier that night when she had nearly shared a kiss with Leonardo…wondering sleepily what it would have been like, and regretting as the darkness overtook her that she never got to find out…

Karai's lungs filled quickly as her head bobbed lightly in the water, and her limp arms floated gently on the surface of the pool. Her heart stopped while a final bubble of air escaped her slightly parted lips and floated to the surface, rippling the water momentarily before everything fell quiet.

A few seconds passed before Leonardo's eyes fluttered open for a moment, but; like a drug, unconsciousness seduced his mind and he fell back into his dream state. Unable to register the sight that lay before him…the image of the woman he loved, lying face down and motionless in a pool of water…


	12. Chapter 12

Chaplin and his men fought against the swarm of Foot ninja and Purple Dragon members that had charged forward to attack them, swords and guns ready for action.

"Oh, geeze!" The young man hollered as he fired two shots at the kneecaps of a couple of ninja that had headed his way. "I reeealllly hope the rest of our guys have surrounded the building by now! Cause we're totally screwed if they haven't!"

"Don't worry about it kid." His superior said confidently with a grin on his face, eyeing the young man with amusement. "These fellas weren't expecting us. We're putting up a good fight here, and there's plenty more waiting outside for them."

"So they're outnumbered?" Chaplin asked hopefully while firing his gun again.

"Hell yeah!"

The doctor grinned as he made his way through the crowd of warriors, knowing his fellow soldiers were more than capable of handling their own against the criminals. All he cared about now was staying alive and finding Karai; he would do whatever he could to help her out.

"She went through here earlier." Chaplin whispered to himself as he smashed open a door and ventured further into the fortress, heading towards the center of the building in the hopes of finding the woman he loved.

After walking down a lone hallway, the doctor was pleased to see a door and the end waiting for him, unease greeting him when he noticed the water leaking out of the room.

"What the…?"

Without realizing it, Chaplin quickened his pace and dashed toward the slightly open door. He thrust it open in a panic, panic which morphed into terror at the sight that greeted his eyes.

Water covered the floor, and in the center of the room a pool had formed within a large hole. Floating limply in that hole was a familiar figure…the boy's heart nearly stopped as an anguished scream erupted from him.

"No! Mistress!!"

* * *

The mutant awoke with a jerk, rubbing his sore neck and observing his surroundings. The warehouse was a mess…

"It's over now, Leonardo." A sweet and familiar voice whispered in his ear.

He turned to see Karai leaning contently against him, a pleased smile on her face. "Your family is safe now, my love. You had nothing to worry about; I had your back the whole time."

Leonardo was surprised by her choice of words, wondering if his hidden attraction for her was affecting his hearing somehow. "My love?" He questioned as he looked into her green eyes, finding himself easily captivated by them. "What to you mean by that?"

Karai smiled warmly at him, staring into his eyes. "It's exactly as it sounds…. I love you…"

The ninja remembered her tear filled confession earlier that evening, when he was blind to everything but his obsession to kill her. Shame came over him as he avoided her carefree gaze. "So, it wasn't a lie…"

"No, it wasn't." She replied without her smile ever leaving her face, "But if you need proof…"

Without warning, Leonardo found himself being grabbed by the woman leaning against him and staring into her eyes once more. She held his face still in her delicate hands; their palms felt silky smooth against his skin. Then, after a moment of gazing into each others eyes, they slowly inched closer to one another as a white light began to engulf them and they kissed…the world seemed to disappear.

As they engaged in their kiss, the mutant found himself slipping away. He felt himself being pulled from the happy white scene to a momentary land of darkness. Everything was blurry, but he managed to make out that he was still in the warehouse. A fuzzy image lay before him, but it was hard to see clearly.

"_What is that?_" He wondered as he squinted at what lay before him, the image getting blurrier as the world darkened around him again.

He thought for a moment, as he was pulled back to his passionate kiss with Karai, that he saw something lying in a pool of water. Uneasiness began creeping over him.

"What's wrong?" She asked as they parted, a concerned look came over her face.

Leonardo shook the image from his mind, and quickly forgot it as he stared at the woman he loved. Knowing that he could finally have her and nothing would get in their way. "Nothing…it was nothing important." He reassured her with a smile of his own.

"Yo, bro," Hollered a voice from the other side of the room. "Are you okay?"

Raphael and the rest of the Hamato clan came bursting through the doors of the small room, halting when they saw Leonardo and Karai in a warm embrace staring at them.

"What are you doing here?" The ninja asked his family as they lowered their weapons.

"We were worried about you, my son." The old rat said as he sniffed the air, turning to look at the center of the room as if something was lying on the floor there. "Something is wrong."

"I'm fine Sensei, I'm sorry for troubling you." Leonardo apologized as he left Karai's side and approached his family.

Raphael and Donatello glared furiously at him, while Michelangelo remained distant from them all.

"Guys?" The mutant questioned, and then remembered how horribly he had treated them all. "Look, I'm sorry for acting like that." He was disturbed by the way Michelangelo in particular was acting, noticing how exhausted his sibling really looked. "Mikey?"

His brother looked up at him with tired eyes, and then whispered something softly to himself. "Sensei got hurt because of me…"

Leonardo felt horrible, seeing now that the guilt over what had happened was tearing the other turtle apart. "I didn't mean what I said Mikey, it wasn't your fault." The guilt didn't leave his siblings eyes. "It was an accident, bro. Sensei would have done that for any of us!"

"He's weak." A new voice hissed from all around him, a voice that he alone could hear. "You said so yourself!"

A set of claws shot out of Michelangelo's chest, slicing though his heart. The mutant's eyes widened momentarily before glazing over, and his body fell limply to the floor.

Leonardo stood frozen, unable to believe the horrific scene he just witnessed. His fears rapidly taking over him as he watched the rest of his family get killed right before his eyes by an unseen force. A menacing laugh filled the air as it froze around him.

Fear turned into absolute rage as the ninja witnessed the Shredder walk out from the shadows to stand before him. "YOU!"

The soulless eyes behind the mask bore into the mutant, but the figure said nothing. He only turned back to the center of the room, where Master Splinter had been staring uneasily at earlier, and lit a ball of flames in his hands…revealing Karai tied to a stake.

"Don't you touch her!" Leonardo growled with anger and fear as he stood frozen in his place. Feeling his heart aching at the sight of the woman he loved sobbing miserably as the Shredder paced around her, a large mallet in his massive hands.

The mutant observed the still bodies of his family on the floor as the figure before him spoke darkly.

"You tore your family apart…"

He looked up again to see the Shredder remove his helmet, his head hidden in the darkness.

"And you've ultimately killed this girl you claim to love…"

Karai's eyes closed as she continued to sob, and the ninja struggled to move from the spot he was frozen to. Watching helplessly as the Shredder swung the mallet back, preparing to bring it down upon the woman tied to the stake.

His head was revealed in the dim light, and Leonardo reeled back in shock and disgust. It was his own face staring darkly back at him…

"Don't look so surprised!" The evil version of himself laughed as he swung the mallet forward, smashing it into Karai's legs. Her screams of pain mingled with Leonardo's own gasp of terror as he awoke, finding himself in the warehouse again…

"Holy…holy shit!" He said shakily as his senses came back to him, placing his head into his unsteady hands to gather his thoughts. Reminding himself that all he had seen was just a nightmare. His erratic breathing and rapid heartbeat steadied as he calmed down, taking a deep breath. "No one's dead, Karai's…"

"No! Mistress!!" A voice yelled emotionally from his right.

Leonardo looked up from his hands to see a young man run towards the center of the room where Karai had been tied to the stake in his nightmare, where his father had stared uneasily and commented that something was wrong, where he himself thought he had seen something lying there momentarily…terror gripped him again as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing there now.

Eyes widened as it registered in his mind the image that lay before him was not out of a nightmare, but was real. Karai was lying facedown in a pool of water, motionless!

"Oh, god…"

His heart pounding once again, the mutant dashed forward on wobbly legs to the center of the room where the pool of water had formed. Watching as the man, who he recognized as Dr. Stockman's replacement, quickly grabbed at the limp body that was floating in it. He couldn't breathe as he helped Dr. Chaplin lift her up out of the water; his heart was in his throat as the two of them lay her down on her back, feeling sick when he noticed the bluish tint her face had taken on. "_How long has she been like this?!_" He took her pulse, and even tried listening for a heartbeat, horrified to find no sign of life.

"She's dead…" He whispered miserably as he started down at her lifeless face, feeling dead himself.

Chaplin shook his head in disbelief; his own emotions raging inside of him as he tried to clear his head and think of what to do. "No…We have to do something, she can't just die like that!" Without hesitation, the young doctor fumbled with tilting Karai's head into the proper position required for CPR. Looking nervously over at the mutant who was sitting on the other side of the still body, noticing the distant look the creature had on its face.

"Hey!"

Leonardo snapped out of his daze to see the man staring at him with a look of determination on his face.

Chaplin pinched Karai's nose shut before looking over at the ninja again, "I'm gonna need your help if we're going to save her. You got that?" He asked sternly, his voice cracking a little with emotion.

The mutant realized that the doctor was in love with her too as he stared back at him doubtfully. "She's drowned…and I have no idea how long she was like that." He muttered miserably. "This is all my fault…"

"Knock it off and help me out, Leonardo!" Chaplin demanded angrily, ignoring the surprised look on the ninja's face. "She never gave up on you, so don't you DARE give up on her! Now I'm going to give her mouth-to-mouth, I need you to give her 15 chest compressions after I do it. We're going to keep giving her CPR until we being her back to life…it may not be too late."

Leonardo nodded numbly as he watched Chaplin lean down and put his mouth over Karai's to blow two deep breaths into her, before performing his own duty upon the still body. Staring down at her face again in absolute misery and guilt, knowing it was his fault she was like this in the first place. He had nearly murdered her tonight because he had terribly misjudged her…and in the end, she still died.

Leonardo remembered how miserable she had looked before he had revealed himself hiding in the shadows, and remembered how her face had perked up when she laid eyes on him. He remembered, in his haze of murderous anger, how she had poured her soul out to him and had declared that she loved him…and how horribly hurt her eyes were when he said he despised her.

"_I was lying… I didn't mean it!_"

He found himself staring at Karai's lips as Chaplin began blowing two deep breaths into her mouth again. "_I'm sorry, I am so sorry for doing this to you!_" The ninja thought guiltily, remembering how hurt she had looked when he had accused her of wanting to destroy his family. Remembering how she had saved his family after all he had put her through. She hadn't wanted to avenge her father, as he had been quick to assume, she had wanted to leave the Hamato clan alone in peace.

"_That's all sh_e _ever really wanted_," Leonardo thought miserably as he watched the young man desperately trying to revive the woman. "_…peace_ _between us._" Chaplin's mouth covered hers again as he breathed into her. "_That's all I wanted too, Karai…I wanted to be with you too._"

He was halfway through another set of chest compressions when the woman's body jerked underneath his hands, shaking him out of his thoughts as she coughed up water violently.

"Oh, thank god…Karai!" Chaplin yelled happily, hugging her enthusiastically as he helped her sit up. He didn't notice the mutant slip away from the scene; he was too relieved to care about what was going on around him. "You really had me scared there, Mistress."

The woman in his arms was silent, too weak to even speak or comprehend what was happening around her as her eyes rolled slightly and she plummeted into darkness once more.

"Karai?...Karai?!" The doctor's face paled with worry as he checked his friend's vital signs. They were weak, and it didn't take him long to learn why. The large gash in her shoulder was bleeding heavily, and from what he could tell she had suffered a concussion as well.

"I guess you're not out of the woods yet, huh Mistress?" He whispered with concern as he gently lifted her off the floor and made his way to the exit, "Hold on for me…I just got you back, so please don't die on me again!"

**Yeah, I know. That was kinda a short one, and the ending was kind of abrupt...but I just couldn't figure out how to expand it anymore than I already had. Sorry!**

**Well, one more chapter to go! I hope everyone enjoyed this chappie, I'm not sure how long it'll be before I post the last one...so I hope this one is good enough to last you until then. -**


	13. The End

At one end of the vast city, young Karai Saki lay in her hospital bed. She was tired, weak, and in pain…both physically and emotionally. Her inner misery, in addition to the abuse her body had taken those many nights ago, held her tightly in its grip…trapping her in a coma that many felt she would never wake up from.

Chaplin sat at her bedside, praying that she would wake up and recover from the darkness that had captured her soul. Silently demanding to the powers that be to release her from her torment, and allow her to be happy for once in her life. Be given the peace and happiness he felt she sorely deserved.

He reached out and took hold of the limp, delicate hand of his mistress, staring at her sleeping face while silently pleading for her to open her eyes.

Two days had passed since he had walked into that room to find the woman he loved more than anything in the world floating lifelessly in a shallow pool of water. Remembering all too clearly how terrified he had been when he saw her like that, and how the world around him seemed to stop.

"You had really scared me…Karai." He found himself whispering as he watched her, pulling his chair closer to the bed. "I thought I was going to die when I saw you like that. When I felt how cold you were…when I couldn't find a pulse…"

The young man shuttered while the memories flooded back to him; the sight of her beautiful face lightly tinged blue, the feeling of helplessness as he had performed CPR on her, the maddening silence as the whole thing occurred.

"I thought my heart was going to explode when you started breathing again." Chaplin confessed, chuckling for a moment. "Cheesy, huh? I must sound like I'm reading lines from a soap opera script!" He sighed as he stared at her face, then looked down at the newspaper he had in his lap.

"I thought you would like to know that you've been in the news a lot lately Mistress…The government made a press release all about our little operation to locate and shut down the remainder of the Foot. With Hun dead, and all the Foot soldiers and Purple Dragon members caught and jailed…well, they're finally recognizing you for what you really are. A good person and a hero, just like I always said you were."

He found himself gripping her hand a little tighter as he stared at her still face, hoping the contact would pull her back into the world of consciousness. She had suffered heavy blood loss, a concussion, and an enormous amount of strain that had nearly killed her…even if she hadn't drowned. The chances of her recovering seemed slim.

"Don't strain yourself Karai." Chaplin whispered, ignoring the nurse who had come in to tell him that visiting hours were over. "You've been under a lot of stress; you've been through a lot…so if you need to sleep just a little bit longer, then that's okay."

He stood up, then bent down and kissed her on the forehead softly. "You're not alone, Mistress. I'll always be there for you…see you tomorrow."

With that, he gathered up the newspaper and his coat. Then, after one last glance at his sleeping beauty, he quietly left the room. Counting down the minutes until he was allowed to sit by her side again…

* * *

On the other end of the city, the eldest sibling of the Hamato clan stood on a particular rooftop. The rooftop where he had first dueled the beautiful warrior whose heart he had broken, and whose life he had nearly taken. His emotions were in an uproar. 

For once in his life, Leonardo didn't know what to do.

He couldn't go home, not after all the hell he had put his family through. The ninja was ashamed of his behavior, and wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready to face them again after all he had done.

Where could he go? Who could he turn to? He was sure April and Casey were just as cross with him as his family was, he hadn't been kind to anyone in his reign of cold pigheadedness. And then there was Karai...

Leonardo read over the newspaper articles again and again, cursing himself for his pure stupidity.

He had worried, without evidence, that Karai would go after his family to avenge her father. Had worried that she would attack them and successfully destroy them, worried that when the time came to defend his family and kill her…that he wouldn't be able to do it out of his love for her.

So, the perfectionist in him won out…and he began to train harder than ever before. Convincing himself that Karai had become the new Shredder and was waiting to strike, he became a cold warrior. He buried his love for the woman deep within him, and disconnected himself from all emotion as best he could.

He didn't want to be weak in battle, to fall for another deadly beauty. Didn't want to give any enemy he encountered the benefit of the doubt anymore, fearful that it would lead to his downfall.

Leonardo had tried to make his family see what he was trying to do, and had become harder on them as well.

"_Oh god…Mikey._"

The ninja had observed his younger sibling's well-hidden guilt, and had been pleased to see his brother taking ninjitsu more seriously than he had before. Had noticed how much his brother had improved over the months that had followed the battle on the Shredder's ship.

But at the time, it wasn't good enough for Leonardo.

Unlike himself, Michelangelo's overall behavior hadn't changed much. The younger turtle still read his comics, watched his cartoons, played his games and pranks…still goofed off despite his increased dedication to the art of ninjitsu.

It had infuriated Leonardo.

The ninja hadn't realized it back then…but he had been jealous of his baby brother.

Both had been affected by the outcome of their last fight against the Shredder. Both had walked away battered and bruised, feeling guilty for things that had happened, and both had changed as a result.

However, Michelangelo had tried to get over his guilt as he trained harder. He had managed to continue being his usual happy self while becoming a better ninja, and was still loved and cherished by his family.

Leonardo refused to allow himself be free of his guilt, wanting to use it as motivation for his actions…as an excuse for the lengths he decided to take. He had become cold, and felt betrayed that his family didn't understand…feeling rejected by them and failing to see that it was his own doing.

He had wanted to get rid of Michelangelo's carefree persona, wanted to remind his sibling of his past mistakes and the near-fatal results of them. He claimed to others, and convinced himself, that his harsh and uncalled for attitude towards his younger brother was necessary in order to keep the young ninja on track with his training. Making him stronger and preparing him for anything.

But in actuality, Leonardo admitted now, he had been trying to punish his baby brother for being loved. Punish him for not allowing his guilt and worries consume him as Leonardo had allowed his to do.

He had wanted Michelangelo's demons to resurface, and they had...

Shame washed over the ninja again as he stared out into the night.

* * *

It had been two days since the Hamato clan had last seen Leonardo, two days since the attack had been made on their home, two days of hellish worry over the lost member of their family. 

Was he alive? Hurt? Dead?

"If he ain't dead…he will be when I get my hands on him!" Raphael roared as he walked into the Liar; an equally upset Donatello following him. "How dare he do this to us? He put us through hell for weeks, and now this?!"

The angry mutant made his way over to his worn out punching bag, violently venting his frustrations down upon it. Tears of misery and anger quickly mingled in with his sweat in seconds.

Donatello remained silent as he made a beeline to his room; holding his brother's cell phone in his hands. They had found it lying outside April's apartment the night before, but none of them could tell how long it had been there.

The tech ninja looked wearily down at the phone before his face twisted in anger, and unshed tears threatened to break through. "Damn you, Leo…" He snarled under his breath as he tossed the cell onto his desk and sat down in his chair, resting his head in his hands.

Splinter observed his two sons from his room, feeling just as upset and frustrated as they did.

He was fearful over what may have happened, hoping that he was wrong and that his son was indeed fine. But the ghostly image they had all seen before the Mystics attacked did not bode well for the welfare of the missing sibling, the possibility that death had claimed him seemed more and more likely. And that terrified the old rat.

He had meditated while his two sons had searched for Leonardo…and they all had found nothing.

Absolutely nothing…

* * *

Hours later, the Lair was silent. 

Its occupants had all settled down into uneasy slumbers…all except one.

Michelangelo lay silently in his room, straining his ears for any sign that his family may still be awake. When he was satisfied that they were all asleep he made his move, forcing his weak and flu ridden body out of bed and dashing towards the elevator.

It was the quieter exit and would bring him straight up to the streets, which is what he wanted.

He was still very sick, but he didn't care. He had sat around for the last two days and watched how his family suffered fixing the Lair and looking for Leonardo. It had driven him crazy to be unable to help due to his family's insistence that he stay behind and get some rest.

But he could never get any rest, or begin to feel better, until Leonardo was found alive and well.

"Well, like it or not bro…I'm coming for ya." The young ninja whispered to the air as he made his way into the city within the safety of the shadows. Running through his mind the list of places his brothers had already checked, and trying to think of what they may have missed.

They had checked the hospital Karai was staying in, all the Foot headquarters, and any other spot in the city they had known Leonardo enjoyed hanging out at…but no matter where they looked, their brother had not been found.

"_He's avoiding us…_" Michelangelo thought in annoyance, slowing his pace a little. "_But he can't keep it up forever!_"

After stopping a moment to catch his breath and allow a wave of dizziness pass by, the young mutant moved on. Deciding to recheck all the places his brothers had looked over the last couple of nights. Determination motivated him to continue, he was going to find his brother tonight…no matter what.

* * *

Leonardo stood over the hospital bed, staring down at the figure lying upon it. This was the first time he had seen her since the battle…she didn't look any better than she had then. 

"I don't know…if I'd be able to do this, to tell you this, if you were awake to hear me." He confessed as he brushed her hair away from her face, listening to the slow rhythm of her breathing. "I still haven't been able to bring myself to face my family …I don't think I'll ever be able to. I'm such a coward."

A sound beyond the closed door alerted the ninja, and he quickly hid himself in the shadows of the dark room. He waited a few moments until he was certain they were alone once more, before leaving the sanctuary of the darkness. Looking down at the silent figure again, he tried to find the words he wanted to say to her sleeping form.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, for hurting you like that. I don't think I'll ever be able to express how truly sorry I am for how I acted, and if you ever wake up…I certainly don't expect you to forgive me."

He looked out the window for a moment before continuing. "I don't deserve it…"

Another agonizing moment of silence passed in the hospital room as the mutant continued staring out the open window. "I love you, Karai. I wish I had listened to my heart instead of my paranoia, and told you that sooner. Perhaps, none of this would have ever happened if I had."

Hesitantly, Leonardo turned and looked at Karai once more. Watching the way her chest rose and fell beneath the blanket before his eyes found their way to her lips. He had no right to do what he was about to do, but he couldn't stop himself.

He crossed the room and leaned over the woman he loved, his face nervously inching closer to hers until he could once again feel her breath on his skin. After a moment he gently brushed his lips against hers, kissing her passionately before breaking away and going back to the window.

"Goodbye, Karai…Please pull through this."

Seconds later, the young woman was once again alone in her room. The curtains blowing quietly in the breeze.

* * *

Michelangelo was exhausted as he ran across the rooftops away from the old Foot headquarters, frustrated. 

Three hours had passed since he had started his search, and he had come up with nothing. He had gone to all of Leonardo's usual spots in addition to places where they had battled the Foot, yet there had been no sign of his brother. Where on earth was he?

"Might as well check the hospital again…" The mutant whispered to himself as he broke into a fit of coughs. "Its 3 o'clock in the morning, he's gotta be getting tired."

A few minutes passed before he reached his destination, quickly scanning the surrounding area in the hopes of spotting the other mutant. "Come on Leo…where the hell are you?! Slip up, make a mistake, give me something to work with!"

As if answering his demand, a figure appeared out of the corner of his eye and dashed across the rooftops away from the hospital. He squinted in an attempt to get a better look, relieved to see that it was indeed his older brother. "It's about freaking time!"

Without hesitating, the young ninja quickly took chase.

Leaping across the rooftops, he pushed himself to close the distance between the two of them. Desperate to catch up with the other ninja even though his body was begging for a break, he couldn't risk loosing sight of his brother. Who knew what Leonardo would do if he realized he had been spotted.

So onward he continued with skillful stealth, ignoring his aches and exhaustion. Getting closer and closer until…

"Holy…"

Beyond his line of sight, Michelangelo could see an airport stretched out before him. Suddenly, with a feeling of dread, the teenager realized what his older brother was about to do. Running faster than he ever thought possible. "LEO!"

His yell had gone unheard over the noise of the planes, and he watched with growing terror as his sibling dashed unnoticed across the runway. Moments later the ninja had slipped skillfully into a cargo hold of one of the large jets, his younger brother was quick to follow him.

"_What is he doing? What the hell does he think he's doing?!_"

Michelangelo slipped inside the cargo hold and dashed into the shadows of the crates, gasping heavily for breath as a new wave of dizziness assaulted him. His vision blurred as he made his way through the crowded space, trying to ignore his body's cries of protest while he maneuvered through the large boxes and crates obscuring his path.

"Leo…?" He croaked with exhaustion as he walked, peering into the shadows around him. Wobbling as another dizzy spell hit him. "Come on dude..." He whispered weakly, shaking his head as he tried to focus. "I saw you sneak in."

No answer greeted his ears, just the sounds of the airport around him. He was so tired, but he was getting angry too. "Don't play games with me Leo, I swear to god!"

Without waiting for an answer from his brother, Michelangelo paced amongst the crates. Hitting one in frustration as he passed it by, glaring into the shadows with frustration.

"Ever since we fought the Shredder that one last glorious time, you've been a real jerk." He started angrily, emotionally. "You went into your funk and never came out of it…you trained like crazy, refused to talk to us unless it was to criticize our abilities, and went out of your way to isolate yourself from us all…why?"

Again, no answer could be heard.

"And then you went and pulled the disappearing act on us…" Michelangelo whispered as he once again leaned weakly against the crates. "We had gotten attacked the other night, when you walked out on us. Did you know that? The whole family's been worried sick this whole time, we all thought you may have been attacked too…out in the city bleeding and in trouble…"

He noticed his brother half-hidden in some shadows watching him, and stood up straight again. Refusing to let his brother see him weak like this…

"Mikey…you shouldn't be here." Leonardo started as he slowly approached his brother, worry painted clearly on his face.

"Yeah, and neither should you!" Michelangelo retaliated as he stepped backward.

"I said and did…horrible things, Mikey." The older teenager confessed sadly, refusing to look him in the eye. "I need to get away for a while and think…"

"The hell you do!" The younger ninja hollered with frustration, surprising his older brother. "Running away from the problem; isolating yourself from everyone, that's not going to help you! You put a wall around yourself for months, and it didn't help you…did it? If isolating yourself didn't solve your problem, then what makes you think taking off to Japan will?"

"I can't go home, Mikey! Don't you understand?" Leonardo asked desperately.

"No." Michelangelo said flatly. "No, I don't understand. Perhaps, if you quit feeling sorry for yourself and told me what the hell was going on, then maybe I could understand…but at the moment, you're making that very difficult."

"I tried to murder Karai! Alright, are you happy now?!" The older ninja yelled angrily, more at himself than at his brother, turning away with clenched fists. "I was afraid she would turn on us, was afraid that I wouldn't be able to take her down if she did…that's why I started training like that, that's why I shut off my emotions and pushed everyone away, because I wanted to be prepared for it."

Michelangelo was at a loss for words, and he stood dumbfounded staring at his brother as he continued.

"It became a horrible obsession, and then…two nights ago…I took off to hunt her down and kill her, I was positive she had taken on her father's title." Leonardo let the tears of frustration fall as he continued to speak. "So I found her…God, Mikey, she looked so miserable when I attacked her…looked so upset when I said those horrible things to her, when I accused her of being a monster just like her father."

He looked at his baby brother again. "I'm the one who turned into a monster. She never strayed from her honorable path…even after all those things I said to her, even after I tried to kill her, she still did everything in her power to take down Hun's empire…and nearly died to save you and the others…"

The younger mutant's eyes widened more, "So she's the one who stopped the Mystics…that's how she ended up in the hospital."

"She's in all the newspapers, everywhere I look I see the story about her heroic actions that landed her in a coma…knowing that I played a role in that, and knowing that she'll never hear my apology…or how I really feel about her." He stared at his brother, trying to make him understand. "I can't go home…not after the way I treated all of you, after I so horribly dishonored our family in the name of my fears and paranoia. How could I?!"

Michelangelo was silent for a moment, absorbing what his brother had told him before speaking.

"No matter how horrible you feel, you still can't run away from this. You got carried away doing what you thought was the right thing to do, doing what you thought was necessary to protect our family. Doesn't mean it was right…but it doesn't give you the excuse to take off on us either."

"I can't go home, Mike." Leonardo said sternly. "I need to do this…and nothing you say or do will stop me."

The young ninja grinned despite his pounding headache and sore body. "Oh, we'll see about that." He pulled out his nunchuck, staring his brother in the eyes challengingly. "You're coming home, Leo."

"Mikey…"

"Come on, pull out those babies and let's get down to it!"

His brother shook his head, surprised by the action. "You can't be serious…"

Michelangelo's playful grin widened, "You wanna bet?"

Before the older mutant could react, the young teenager dashed forward with his nunchucks spinning skillfully in his hands.

Leonardo hissed in pain when the wooden weapon made contact with his right side, glaring at its owner while refusing to pull out his blades. "I'm not going to fight you, Mikey. This won't solve anything."

"Oh please!" The other ninja laughed as he made another move against him. "You have no problem sparring with Raph when you two disagree, so humor me!"

"You've got the flu, you're sick!"

"So? You're emotionally unstable!"

Leonardo couldn't help getting annoyed as he continued to avoid his opponent's skilled moves, his hands itching to pull out the katana strapped to his back. "Knock it off. I'm serious." He growled threateningly.

"And so am I, Leo!" His brother yelled back, striking again. "I'm not going to stop until you agree to come home with me, got it?"

"Fine." The older mutant said icily, "You asked for it!" With fluid motion, he pulled out his katana and engaged his baby brother in the duel.

The two fought furiously, neither one wanting to give in to the other. The sound of wood smacking against metal echoed in the cargo hold as the two brothers battled, each aware of the sounds of the plane preparing to take off. In a few more minutes the craft would be in the air, with or without them on it.

Michelangelo struggled against his older brother, determined to bring him home. "I am not…!"

A powerful shove threw Leonardo backward.

"…going to let you…!"

Spinning nunchucks knocked the katana from their owner's hands, sending them clattering to the floor.

"…leave on us!" The younger teenager finished, plowing himself into his brother and sending them crashing to the metal floor. "Do you understand?!"

He held his nunchucks together, holding them lightly against his older brother's neck while staring him in the eyes.

"If Raph, Donnie, or I tried pulling this little stunt…you wouldn't have let any of us go either, you would have done the same damn thing…"

Leonardo looked up at his brother, stunned. Just like Karai, he had severely misunderstood and underestimated his little brother. He was seeing a side to him that he had never seen before.

"Are you coming home now?" Michelangelo asked, panting heavily. Exhaustion was written all over his features. "Or am I going to have to kick your shell again?"

Slowly, still stunned by his brother's performance, the mutant lying on the floor nodded his head.

A weak smile of relief filled the younger ninja's face as he started to help his brother up. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Leonardo allowed a small smile of amusement and pride come over him as he went to retrieve his blades.

"I don't think…" Michelangelo started as he swayed on his feet. "I don't think I could've handled another fight."

The older ninja turned around just in time to see his baby brother collapse onto the cargo hold floor as the plane engines roared to life…

* * *

Chaplin thought he was seeing things when he walked into the hospital room a few hours later that morning, and had to blink twice before realizing it wasn't an illusion. 

Sitting up in her bed, staring at him with a confused expression on her face, was Karai.

"Oh, thank god!" The young scientist yelled with excitement as he dropped his things and dashed over to the bed, giving the young woman laying there a warm huge. "You're awake, you woke up!"

"Ch-Chaplin…" Karai gasped from underneath his tight hold on her. "What happened?"

He pulled away and stared her in the eyes, marveling at their beauty. "Don't you remember?"

She stared back at him, sadness mixing in with her confusion. "The warehouse…all of that really happened, didn't it?"

Smiling brightly, the young man nodded as he scrambled to pick up the newspapers off the floor. Quickly showing her the front page, "You bet it did Mistress!"

She read over the article, her mind remembering the details all too clearly. Remembering what Leonardo had said to her, then the horrifying moments before she passed out. A sob escaped her before she could stop it.

"Karai?"

The woman looked at her friend again, noticing the concerned look on his face. "I…remember seeing the water all around me, I was so tired…I couldn't prevent myself from…" She shuttered before looking back at the man sitting on her bed. "I died…didn't I?"

"Yeah…" Chaplin said quietly, shivering as his mind ventured back to that horrible memory again. "Neither of us knew how long you had been like that when we found you, but we both did everything we could to bring you back…thank god we had gotten to you in time."

Karai frowned, confused by what he had said. "We? Who was there with you?"

"That mutant guy, Leonardo."

The ninja's eyes widened with surprise as her friend continued. Her heart thumping as he told her how the two of them had performed CPR on her to bring her back from the dead. "I…didn't know he cared. I thought he wanted me dead…?" She whispered more to herself than anyone else.

"You could have fooled me." Chaplin continued, watching her with an unusual understanding. Recognizing the look he saw growing on her face. "He was just as horrified as I was when he saw you like that…he kind of went into a shock until I snapped him out of it and had him help me revive you."

Karai brought her fingers to her lips without thinking about it. "He…he did?"

"Yeah." The doctor continued with a knowing, yet somewhat sad smile. "He did the chest compressions. I, uh…did the mouth-to-mouth part." A sheepish blush found itself to his face before he could stop it.

"Really?" She asked awkwardly, pulling her hand away from her mouth with a small blush.

"It was my first kiss." Her friend joked, feeling awkward himself.

"Chaplin…I…"

The doctor looked out the open window; a sad smile came to his face. "He loves you, Karai. Leonardo..." He paused, looking back at her. "Whatever he may have said to you before that implied otherwise was a lie…it was clear as day to me that he loves you…"

Before she could reply, a loud knock rapped on the door, and a large nurse walked into the room with a tray of food for her patient.

"Eat up, Miss Saki!" The woman spoke cheerily as she placed the tray on the young woman's lap. "We'll give you a quick look over to see how you're doing, and if the doctor thinks it all looks good then you should be ready to go home by the end of the week!"

"That's great!" Chaplin exclaimed as he got up, offering his beautiful friend a warm smile. "I'll leave you to eat your breakfast, Mistress." He said softly, gathering his things and making his way to the door. "Just holler if you need anything!"

Karai smiled up at him, "Thank You. For saving me, for being such a good friend…for everything…"

"No problem!" He replied, the smile never leaving his face as he opened the door and walked out into the hallway. Closing the door gently behind him, he leaned against it for a moment. He brought a hand to his own lips, sighing to himself as he silently wished for Karai and Leonardo to have a happy life together.

Then he put on his coat, and walked down the hall. Wondering how they were going to deal with the reporters that evening.

* * *

Leonardo had managed to get his baby brother off the plane before it had taken off, and had gotten the young mutant back home safe and sound. 

Seven days had passed, and Michelangelo was back in perfect health. Grinning at his older brother when he saw him head towards the elevator, going topside.

It had been a tough few days, but Leonardo's apologies and hard work around the damaged Lair (along with Michelangelo's support) had quickly helped patch up the hard feelings his family had held towards him.

Now, with butterflies in his stomach, Leonardo made his way to the rooftops of the city. He had patched up his damaged relationship with his family, now it was time to finally come clean with Karai. To tell her once and for all his true feelings for her, hoping that the damage he had caused could be repaired.

Three days earlier, only hours after his fight with Michelangelo, Karai had woken up from her coma. Today, she was being released from the hospital.

The skilled ninja made his way through the city, his heart pounding harder and harder until he reached the well-kept apartment building Karai lived in. Moments later he was outside what he assumed was her bedroom window, it wasn't long before he stealthily opened the window and crept inside. He walked into the main room, pacing nervously before sitting down on the couch.

Ready to leap into the shadows if she didn't come home alone...

An hour had passed before he heard noises in the hallway; his heart began pounding again nervously as he heard the keys jingle in the door knob, and watched as the door opened with irritating slowness.

Then, the light switched on.

Leonardo remained frozen where he sat as he stared at Karai standing in the doorway; the silence between them seemed to last forever. Unspoken words passed between them as they stared at one another, memories of things that had been said and things they wish had been said flashed in each one's mind.

"Karai…" He whispered as he stood up, rubbing the back of his head as he looked at her nervously.

She stood staring at him, sad and confused at the same time. "What are you…?"

Leonardo found himself getting up, slowly walking towards her. He couldn't find the words to express what he wanted to say, but he could show her.

Before she could do anything to stop him, Karai found herself being pulled forward by the mutant as he gently closed the door behind her. The next thing she knew, familiar lips crushed themselves against hers. She was in heaven.

They parted to catch their breath, exploring each other's gazes as they breathed heavily.

"I love you…and I've wanted to tell you that for a long time." Leonardo told her softly, kissing her again before embracing her in a warm and loving hug.

Holding her like that for the rest of the night, grateful that they had been given a second chance…


End file.
